Crop package accumulator

ABSTRACT

An agricultural bale-processing machine includes a baling chamber and an accumulator for carrying bales received from the baling chamber. The accumulator includes a base frame mountable behind the baler, a carriage mounted to the base frame to be movable relative to the base frame in a lateral direction by at least one actuator. The carriage has a platform having upstanding side walls defining a fixed width crop package receiving area therebetween.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

Not applicable.

STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to a crop package accumulatorfor an agricultural baler.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A cut and raked crop that has been dried or otherwise prepared in afield, such as hay, straw or other agricultural material is oftengathered, compressed and shaped into a cylindrical crop package,commonly called bales, by an agricultural baler. The bales can be boundwith netting, strapping, wire by the baler. Bales are formed by thebaler in a series of processes including lifting crop material from afield, hereinafter referred to as hay, by way of a pickup portion of thebaler. The hay is then moved into a chamber of the baler in which thehay is cut and compressed. Once a predetermined amount of hay has beengathered in the chamber, the hay is bound by the baler to form a bale.The bales can be bound with netting, strapping, wire by the baler. Thebale is then moved out of the rear of the baler and loaded onto a baleaccumulator.

Variable-chamber balers typically produce bales from 48 to 72 inches indiameter and up to approximately 62 inches in width. The bales can weighfrom 1,000 to 2,500 pounds, depending upon size, material, and moisturecontent. The accumulator may carry one or more bales thereon while thebaling operation is underway. When the accumulator is full, it is commonto dump the multiple harvested bales in that location, therebypotentially reducing the travel time and field impact required tocollect the deposited bales. However, configuring and controlling theaccumulator in cooperation with the baler and tractor to effectively andefficiently form, collect, manipulate, and transport multiple bales maybe challenging.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure provides an accumulator for accumulating bales processedby an agricultural baler. The accumulator includes a base framemountable behind the baler, a carriage mounted to the base frame to bemovable relative to the base frame in a lateral direction by at leastone actuator. The carriage has a platform having upstanding side wallsdefining a fixed width crop package receiving area therebetween.

In another aspect, the disclosure provides an agriculturalbale-processing machine includes a baling chamber and an accumulator forcarrying bales received from the baling chamber. The accumulatorincludes a base frame mountable behind the baler, a carriage mounted tothe base frame to be movable relative to the base frame in a lateraldirection by at least one actuator. The carriage has a platform havingupstanding side walls defining a fixed width crop package receiving areatherebetween.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features and advantages willbecome apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example agricultural equipment train thatincludes an agricultural baler and a crop package accumulator, and mayinclude a tractor, in which this disclosure may be incorporated with adischarge gate of the baler being in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the example agricultural equipment train ofFIG. 1 with the discharge gate of the baler being in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the accumulator having an actuatingmechanism thereon in accordance with a first embodiment, with the balerand bales shown in phantom lines;

FIGS. 4-9 are rear elevation views showing example positions of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 3 during use;

FIG. 10 is a dataflow diagram of an accumulation system of a baleaccumulator control system for the accumulator;

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a flowchart having example steps for use of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the accumulator having an actuatingmechanism thereon in accordance with a second embodiment, with the balerand bales shown in phantom lines;

FIGS. 13-18 are rear elevation views showing example positions of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 12 during use;

FIGS. 19A and 19B show a flowchart having example steps for use of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 12;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the accumulator having an actuatingmechanism thereon in accordance with a third embodiment, with the balerand bales shown in phantom lines;

FIGS. 21-26 are rear elevation views showing example positions of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 20 during use;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the accumulator having an actuatingmechanism thereon in accordance with a fourth embodiment, with the balerand bales shown in phantom lines;

FIGS. 28-33 are rear elevation views showing example positions of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 21 during use;

FIGS. 34A and 34B show a flowchart having example steps for use of theaccumulator having the actuating mechanism of FIG. 20 or FIG. 27; and

FIG. 35 is a rear elevation view of the accumulator having a modifiedactuating mechanism.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes one or more example embodiments of the disclosedmethod and system for accumulating bales on an accumulator, as shown inthe accompanying figures of the drawings described briefly above.Various modifications to the example embodiments may be contemplated byone of skill in the art.

As used herein, unless otherwise limited or modified, lists withelements that are separated by conjunctive terms (e.g., “and”) and thatare also preceded by the phrase “one or more of” or “at least one of”indicate configurations or arrangements that potentially includeindividual elements of the list, or any combination thereof. Forexample, “at least one of A, B, and C” or “one or more of A, B, and C”indicates the possibilities of only A, only B, only C, or anycombination of two or more of A, B, and C (e.g., A and B; B and C; A andC; or A, B, and C).

As used herein, the term module refers to any hardware, software,firmware, electronic control component, processing logic, and/orprocessor device, individually or in any combination, including withoutlimitation: application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), anelectronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memorythat executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinationallogic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide thedescribed functionality.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be described herein in termsof functional and/or logical block components and various processingsteps. It should be appreciated that such block components may berealized by any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware componentsconfigured to perform the specified functions. For example, anembodiment of the present disclosure may employ various integratedcircuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processingelements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carryout a variety of functions under the control of one or moremicroprocessors or other control devices. In addition, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure maybe practiced in conjunction with any number of systems, and that thework vehicle described herein is merely one example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to signalprocessing, data transmission, signaling, control, and other functionalaspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of thesystems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, theconnecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein areintended to represent example functional relationships and/or physicalcouplings between the various elements. It should be noted that manyalternative or additional functional relationships or physicalconnections may be present in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As noted above, in various situations it may be useful to gathermaterial (e.g., cut plant material) for further processing. For example,a cutting or raking operation may leave cut material (e.g., hay)arranged in windrows in a field. Balers and other equipment may then beused to gather the material from the windrows for formation into bales.

The following describes one or more example implementations of thedisclosed system for a control system for a crop package accumulator anda method of using same. The control system and method are used toaccumulate at least two bales on an accumulator which is discharged froma baler.

The accumulator has a fixed lateral width carriage laterally movablymounted on a base frame such that the entire carriage moves transverseto a direction of travel of the accumulator across a field. In anembodiment, a first bale can be formed by the baler, deposited onto thecarriage, the carriage moved relative to the base frame, a second balecan be formed by the baler, and then deposited onto the carriage. In anembodiment, a bale separating member, which is movable relative to thecarriage, moves the first bale relative to the base frame and thencauses movement of the carriage relative to the base frame. In anembodiment, both the carriage and the bale separating member areactuated to cause movement of the first bale relative to the base frame.In an embodiment, the bale separating member is affixed to the carriage,and only the carriage is moved relative to the base frame. In anembodiment, the bale separating member is eliminated and only thecarriage is moved relative to the base frame.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides for an accumulatorwhich can align the center of gravity of the bales loaded onto theaccumulator with the center of gravity of the baler. In someembodiments, if a situation arises wherein the accumulator is traversingan inclined surface, the carriage can be moved off center from the balerso that the center of gravity of the loaded accumulator aligns with theinclined surface.

As noted above, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an accumulator 20described herein may be employed with respect to a variety ofcrop-packaging devices, such as a baler 22. The baler 22 may beconfigured to be towed by a tractor 24 in a direction of travel across afield, or the baler 22 may be self-propelled in a direction of travelacross a field. The accumulator 20 is towed by the baler 22.Collectively, the baler 22 and accumulator 20 (and the tractor 24 ifprovided) may be considered an agricultural equipment train 10. Asdescribed in greater detail below, various components of the accumulator20 and the baler 22 (and the tractor 24 if provided) may cooperate toform an accumulation control system 220 for efficiently selectivelyforming a first bale B1 in the baler 22; discharging the first bale B1from the baler 22; collecting the first bale B1 on the accumulator 20;forming a second bale B2 in the baler 22; discharging the second bale B2from the baler 22; collecting the second bale B2 on the accumulator 20;and preparing the bales B1, B2 for transport on the accumulator 20 andsubsequent deposition on the ground. In the view of FIGS. 1 and 2, thefirst bale B1 has been formed and positioned on the accumulator 20 andthe second bale B2 is being formed in the baler 22. Additional detailsabout the accumulation control system 220 will be provided below after abrief description of the associated elements of the baler 22 and theaccumulator 20, and of the tractor 24 if provided).

If the tractor 24 if used, any suitable work machine tractor 24 may beused to pull the baler 22 and accumulator 20. Generally, the tractor 24includes an engine (not shown) and driveline (not shown) to propel thetractor 24.

The tractor 24 or the baler 22 may further include a human-machine oroperator interface 230 to enable an operator to interact with theelements of the accumulation control system 220 and other aspects of theagricultural equipment train 10. Although the operator interface 230 isdepicted as being associated with the tractor 24 or the baler 22, theoperator interface 230 may be positioned on the accumulator 20, and/orremote from the equipment train 10. In one example, the operatorinterface 230 may be disposed inside a cab of the tractor 24 for easyaccess by the operator. The operator interface 230 may be configured ina variety of ways. In some embodiments, the operator interface 230 mayinclude one or more joysticks, various switches or levers, one or morebuttons, a touchscreen interface that may be overlaid on a display, akeyboard, a speaker, a microphone associated with a speech recognitionsystem, or various other human-machine interface devices.

The baler 22 may have a main frame 26 supported on a pair of groundwheels 28. In an embodiment where the baler 22 is towed by the tractor24, the main frame 26 includes a draft tongue 30 extending in a forwarddirection to a forward end defined by a clevis arrangement (not shown)adapted for being coupled to a drawbar (not shown) of the tractor 24. Apair of upright side walls 32 may be fixed to the main frame 26 todefine forward regions of opposite side walls of a bale forming chamber34. Mounted for pivoting vertically about a horizontal pivot arrangement36 located at an upper rear location of the side walls 32 is a dischargegate 38 including opposite upright side walls 40, which define oppositesides of a rear region of the bale forming chamber 34. The dischargegate 38 is coupled to a rear end of the main frame 26. One or more gatehydraulic cylinders 42 may be coupled between the main frame 26 and theopposite side walls 40 of the discharge gate 38 and are selectivelyoperable for moving the discharge gate 38 between a lowered balingposition and an opened discharge position. It is understood that whileone hydraulic cylinder is shown, two or more hydraulic cylinders may beused to open and close the discharge gate 38. The baler 22 as shown isof a variable chamber design and thus comprises a plurality oflongitudinally extending side-by-side belts (not shown) supported on aplurality of rollers (not shown). At least one of the rollers is driven,via a chain drive coupled to a motor or other arrangement, to drive thebelts about the bale forming chamber 34.

The tractor 24 and/or the baler 22 includes one or more driven pumps224. Flow from the pumps 224 may be routed through various controlvalves 226 and various conduits (e.g., flexible hoses and lines) tocontrol various components. Flow from the pumps 224 may also powervarious other components of the baler 22, the accumulator 20, and thetractor 24 (if provided). In some embodiments, various sensors (e.g.,pressure, flow or other sensors) may be disposed near the pumps 224 andcontrol valves 226.

The baler 22 may also include one or more controllers 228, such aselectronic controller unit (ECU), to control various aspects of thebaler 22, as well as characteristics of the tractor 24 (if provided)and/or accumulator 20. In other embodiments, the controller 228 may beimplemented on the tractor 24, the accumulator 20, or a remote device,or the controller 228 may be distributed across the tractor 24, baler22, and/or accumulator 20. Generally, the controller 228 may beconfigured as computing devices with associated processor devices andmemory architectures, as hydraulic, electrical or electro-hydrauliccontrollers, or otherwise. As such, the controller 228 may be configuredto execute various computational and control functionality with respectto the baler 22 (and other machinery). The controller 228 may be inelectronic, hydraulic, or other communication with various other systemsor devices of the baler 22, as well as the tractor 24 (if provided) andaccumulator 20. For example, the controller 228 may be in electronic orhydraulic communication with various actuators, sensors, and otherdevices within (or outside of) the baler 22, including various devicesassociated with the bale forming chamber 34 and related mechanisms. Thecontroller 228 may communicate with other systems or devices (includingother controllers) in various known ways, including via a CAN bus (notshown) of the baler 22, the accumulator 20, or the tractor 24 (ifprovided) (e.g., control valves 226), via wireless or hydrauliccommunication means, or otherwise. Additionally, one or moreelectro-hydraulic control valves (not shown) may be a part of a balerhydraulic system and interposed in hydraulic lines connecting the gatehydraulic cylinders 42 with a hydraulic supply associated with theaccumulator 20. The electro-hydraulic control valve may be electricallyactivated according to signals from the controller 228 and may beconfigured to control the flow of hydraulic fluid between the hydraulicsupply, the gate hydraulic cylinders 42 and various components of theaccumulator 20. Moreover, the one or more hydraulic pumps 224 and theone or more control valves 226 described above, along with variouslines, hoses, conduits, define a hydraulic circuit that supplieshydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinders 42 based on one or morecontrol signals from the controller 228. In some embodiments, thecontroller 228 may be configured to receive input commands and tointerface with an operator via the human-machine interface or operatorinterface 230.

In its general operation, the baler 22 traverses through a field. Cropmaterial 44 is fed into a crop inlet 46 of the bale forming chamber 34from a windrow of crop on the ground by a pickup 48. In the bale formingchamber 34, the crop material 44 is rolled in spiral fashion intocylindrical bales B1, B2. In this example, the baler 22 illustrated is avariable chamber design wherein crop is rolled up in a spiral fashion ina nip formed between oppositely moving adjacent loops of belts. Thespace between adjacent loops of belts grows as the forming bale B1 or B2grows larger. Upon completion, the bale B1 or B2 is discharged byactuation of the gate hydraulic cylinders 42 that open the dischargegate 38 permitting the completed bale B1 or B2 to be discharged from thebaler 22 onto the accumulator 20. As noted above, in the view of FIG. 1,the first bale B1 is positioned on the accumulator 20 and the secondbale B2 is being formed in the baler 22. Various sensors 232 may also bedisposed on or near the baler 22 in order to measure parameters, such asto determine when a bale B1 or B2 within the bale forming chamber 34 isfully formed (for example by measuring the diameter), and so on.Additionally, a gate sensor 234 is in communication with the controller228 of the baler 22 which detects a position of the discharge gate 38,to detect whether the discharge gate 38 is opening or closing, or todetect whether the discharge gate 38 is opening or closing.

The accumulator 20 includes a transfer mechanism 50, a base frame 52coupled to the transfer mechanism 50, a fixed-width carriage 54 which islaterally movably mounted on the base frame 52 by an actuating mechanism56, 1056, 2056, 3056. The base frame 52 remains laterally stationaryduring the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the baler 22. Thetransfer mechanism 50 may take the form of a table, a tilting ramp andthe like. Bales B1, B2 are accumulated on the carriage 54 as describedherein. As described in greater detail below, the actuating mechanism56, 1056, 2056, 3056 may be implemented in a number of ways. In variousembodiments, the transfer mechanism 50 comprises the platform describedin U.S. Pat. No. 9,622,420.

The accumulator 20 is coupled to the baler 22 for movement with thebaler 22 as the baler 22. As will be discussed, the accumulator 20receives the bales B1, B2 that are discharged by the discharge gate 38.The base frame 52 is towed directly behind the baler 22, and thetransfer mechanism 50 guides the bales B1, B2 from the discharge gate 38of the baler 22 onto the carriage 54. The base frame 52 is configured asa rigid metal frame. The base frame 52 is flexibly or rigidly coupled tothe baler 22 and is at least partially supported on at least one pair ofground wheels 60.

Initially referring to FIG. 3, the base frame 52 has front and rearupright flanges 62, 64 and an intermediate web 66 extending between theupright flanges 62, 64. In an embodiment, the base frame 52 is formed ofan I-beam. The base frame 52 is mounted in a behind the baler 22. Thebase frame 52 may be in a fixed orientation relative to the baler 22, ormay be flexibly mounted behind the baler 22 such as for example by aball joint which allows for some movement of the base frame 52 relativeto the baler 22. The flanges 62, 64 extend horizontally and in adirection that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travelof the accumulator 20. The base frame 52 has a width W1 which is definedbetween ends 52.1, 52.2 thereof. In some embodiments, the width W1 isthe same as, or less than the width W2 of the baler 22 which is definedbetween sides 22.1, 22.2 of the baler 22. In some embodiments, the widthW1 is the greater than the width W2 of the baler 22.

The carriage 54 is configured as a rigid metal frame. The carriage 54includes a platform 68, a left upright side wall 70 (when viewed fromthe rear of the accumulator 20) at a left side of the platform 68, aright upright side wall 72 (when viewed from the rear of the accumulator20) at a right side of the platform 68, a front rail 74 extendingbetween front ends of the side walls 70, 72, and a rear rail 76extending between rear ends of the side walls 70, 72 to form a croppackage carrying area 78 in the form of a trough that naturally retainsthe bales B1, B2 in the carriage 54 during transport through the field.The platform 68 includes a front rail or plate 68 a extending betweenthe side walls 70, 72 and a rear rail or plate 68 b extending betweenthe side walls 70, 72 on which bales B1 and B2 will sit, and anelongated slot 80 extending between the side walls 70, 72 and betweenthe front and rear rails 68 a, 68 b. The rails 68 a, 68 b and slot 80extend horizontally and in a direction that is perpendicular orsubstantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of theaccumulator 20. The crop package carrying area 78 supports the bales B1,B2 received from the bale forming chamber 34. The front rail 74 may bedesigned to rotate or move out of the way when the bales B1, B2 aredeposited into the crop package carrying area 78, and the rear rail 76may be designed to rotate or move out of the way when the bales B1, B2are dumped out of the crop package carrying area 78. In an embodiment,the crop package carrying area 78 defines a width W4 which is slightlylarger than the width of two bales B1, B2. The carriage 54 has a fixedlateral width such that the width W4 is fixed, that is, the width W4remains constant during all movements of the carriage 54.

The carriage 54 has a predetermined width W3 defined at the outermostsides 70.1, 72.1 of the side walls 70, 72 such that the crop packagecarrying area 78 has a fixed dimension between the side walls 70, 72. Insome embodiments, the width W3 of the carriage 54 is the same as, orless than the width W2 of the baler 22. In other embodiments, the widthW3 of the carriage 54 is the greater than the width W2 of the baler 22.

The entire carriage 54 is laterally slidable relative to the base frame52 parallel to a first direction 84 and a second direction 86 along alateral axis which is transverse to the direction of travel. It is to beunderstood that the use of the term “transverse” means within a range ofangles relative to 90 degrees, such as for example 85 degrees to 105degrees. In an embodiment, wheels 88, slide pads, bearing and like areprovided on lower surfaces of the rails 68 a, 68 b of the carriage 54which ride along upper surfaces of the flanges 62, 64 of the base frame52.

The bale B1 or B2 is discharged from the discharge gate 38 of the baler22 and the transfer mechanism 50 transfers the bale B1 or B2 onto thecarriage 54 and into the crop package carrying area 78 as describedherein.

In FIGS. 3-9, a first embodiment of the actuating mechanism 56 for usewith the accumulation control system 220 is shown. The actuatingmechanism 56 includes a bale separating member 90 coupled to a baleseparating member actuator 92. The front and rear rails 74, 76 are notshown in FIGS. 4-9 for clarity.

The bale separating member 90 includes a lower flange 94 coupled to anupper flange 96. The lower flange 94 extends through the slot 80 in theplatform 68 of the carriage 54, and is fixedly coupled to the baleseparating member actuator 92 which is mounted on an upper surface ofthe web 66 of the base frame 52. The upper flange 96 extends upwardlyfrom the platform 68 to divide the crop package carrying area 78 intofirst and second bale receiving areas 78 a, 78 b. The bale separatingmember 90 can be laterally slid relative to the carriage 54 by the baleseparating member actuator 92 in the directions 84, 86. In anembodiment, the crop package carrying area 78 defines a width which isslightly larger than the width of two bales B1, B2 and a width of thebale separating member 90.

In an embodiment, the bale separating member actuator 92 includes ahydraulic cylinder 98 which is attached to an endless loop 100 aroundsprockets 102 that are rotatably mounted to the web 66 of the base frame52. In an embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder 98 has an extendable andretractable piston rod 98 a mounted in a housing 98 b. The endless loop100 may be formed of a roller chain, a cable, a rope, or the like. Thelower flange 94 of the bale separating member 90 is fixedly attached tothe endless loop 100 between the sprockets 102. The hydraulic cylinder98 is fluidly coupled to the hydraulic system of the baler 22 and/or thetractor 24 (if a tractor 24 is provided). For example, the baleseparating member actuator 92 may include one or more hydraulic linesthat connect the hydraulic cylinder 98 with the hydraulic supply,including the control valves 226 and hydraulic pumps 224. One or moreelectro-hydraulic control valves of the hydraulic system of the baler 22may be in fluid communication with the bale separating member actuator92 and electrically activated according to signals from the controller228, as an example, to control the flow of hydraulic fluid between thehydraulic supply and the hydraulic cylinder 98. The hydraulic cylinder98 is responsive to the hydraulic fluid received from the hydraulicsystem to move the bale separating member 90. In an embodiment, the baleseparating member actuator 92 includes a worm gear or a rack and pinionsystem which is attached to the endless loop 100. Extension of the baleseparating member actuator 92 moves the endless loop 100 in the firstdirection 84, which moves the bale separating member 90 in the firstdirection 84 and toward the left side wall 70. Retraction of the baleseparating member actuator 92 moves the endless loop 100 in the seconddirection 86, which moves the bale separating member 90 in the seconddirection 86 and toward the right side wall 72. Other actuatingmechanisms are within the scope of the present disclosure, providedmovement of the bale separating member 90 relative to the carriage 54and the base frame 52 is provided.

Sensor(s) 104 are provided on the bale separating member actuator 92 oron the carriage 54 which sense the position of the bale separatingmember 90 relative to the carriage 54 or the carriage 54 relative to thebase frame 52. These sensor(s) 104 can trigger movement of subsequentmechanisms or simply provide feedback to the controller 228 forinformation or diagnostics.

Operation of the accumulator 20 is now described with regard to theaccumulator 20 receiving two bales B1 and B2. For ease in description,the positioning of the bale separating member 90 is described to thatshown in FIGS. 3-8.

Initially, as shown in FIG. 4, the bale separating member 90 and thecarriage 54 are positioned a first position relative to the base frame52 such that the bale separating member 90 is positioned off to one sideof the discharge gate 38 such that the crop package carrying area 78 ispartitioned into the first and second bale receiving areas 78 a, 78 b.As such, in the first position, the bale separating member 90 ispositioned to the right of the center of the carriage 54 as shown inFIG. 4. The sensor(s) 104 sense the position of the bale separatingmember 90 relative to the carriage 54. If the bale separating member 90is not in the first position, then the bale separating member actuator92 is actuated to move the bale separating member 90 until the baleseparating member 90 is in the first position.

The baler 22 forms a first bale B1 in a manner known in the art, thedischarge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moved downward, andthe first bale B1 is transferred into the first bale receiving area 78 aby the transfer mechanism 50. Once the bale B1 is clear of the dischargegate 38, the discharge gate 38 is closed and the baler 22 commencesforming a second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34. The first baleB1 is deposited onto the carriage 54 into the first bale receiving area78 a, see FIG. 5, which is proximate to the left side of the baleseparating member 90, and thereafter the front rail 74 is moved upward.A space 106 having a width which is equal to approximately half of thewidth of the first bale B1 is formed in the first bale receiving area 78a and is provided between the left end of the first bale B1 and the leftside wall 70 of the carriage 54.

After the bale B1 has been deposited onto the carriage 54 into the firstbale receiving area 78 a, the bale separating member actuator 92 isactuated to move the bale separating member 90 laterally to the left inthe first direction 84 as shown in FIG. 6. When the bale separatingmember 90 is moved laterally to the left, the bale separating member 90first contacts the side of the first bale B1 and slides the first baleB1 into the space 106, see FIG. 5. The bale separating member 90continues to move in the first direction 84, see FIG. 6, thereby pushingthe first bale B1 against the left side wall 70 which causes thecarriage 54 to move laterally relative to the base frame 52. Thislateral movement is continued until the bale separating member 90 ispositioned at a second position which is on the left side of thedischarge gate 38, and a space 108 is formed in the second balereceiving area 78 b between the bale separating member 90 and the rightside wall 72 rearwardly of the discharge gate 38, see FIG. 7. The baleseparating member 90 is moved until the bale separating member 90 ispositioned laterally outwardly of where a second bale B2 is dischargedfrom the discharge gate 38 and such that the space 108 is providedbetween the right side of the bale separating member 90 and the rightside wall 72 which is wide enough to accommodate the second bale B2. Thesensor(s) 104 sense the position of the bale separating member 90relative to the carriage 54 and when the second position is sensed bythe sensor(s) 104, the bale separating member actuator 92 is deactivatedso that movement of the bale separating member 90 is stopped. Mechanicalhard stops (not shown) may be provided to prevent further movement ofthe bale separating member actuator 92 in the first direction 84,thereby preventing the bale separating member actuator 92 from squeezingand deforming the first bale B1. Alternatively, the further movement ofthe bale separating member actuator 92 in the first direction 84 may belimited by the stroke of the cylinder 98.

When the second bale B2 is completely formed in the manner known in theart, the discharge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moveddownward, and the second bale B2 is deposited into the space 108 in thesecond bale receiving area 78 b and onto the carriage 54 as shown inFIG. 8. The second bale B2 is deposited into the space 108 and onto thecarriage 54 such that the second bale B2 is proximate to the right sideof the bale separating member 90 and proximate to the right side wall72, and thereafter the front rail 74 is moved up.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

In some embodiments, the bale separating member actuator 92 is thenactuated to move the bale separating member 90 laterally to the right inthe second direction 86 as shown in FIG. 9. When the bale separatingmember 90 is moved laterally to the right, the bale separating member 90contacts the side of the second bale B2, thereby pushing the second baleB2 against the right side wall 72 which causes the carriage 54 to movelaterally rightward relative to the base frame 52. This lateralrightward movement is continued until the bale separating member 90 andthe carriage 54 are positioned into a third position which is centeredbehind the baler 22 as shown in FIG. 9. This will cause the center ofgravity of the loaded accumulator 20 to be in line with the center ofgravity of the baler 22. The sensor(s) 104 sense the position of thebale separating member 90 relative to the carriage 54 and when the thirdposition is sensed by the sensor(s) 104, the bale separating memberactuator 92 is deactivated so that movement of the bale separatingmember 90 is stopped. Mechanical hard stops (not shown) may be providedto prevent further movement of the bale separating member actuator 92 inthe second direction 86, thereby preventing the bale separating memberactuator 92 from squeezing and deforming the second bale B2.Alternatively, the further movement of the bale separating memberactuator 92 in the second direction 86 may be limited by the stroke ofthe cylinder 98.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be deposited onto the carriage 54. During this movement, thecarriage 54 may extend laterally outwardly to one of the sides of thebaler 22.

When the bales B1, B2 are ready to be discharged from the accumulator20, the rear rail 76 is moved down and the bales B1, B2 are removed fromthe carriage 54. In an embodiment, the carriage 54 is pivotably coupledby suitable mechanisms (not shown) to the base frame 52 such that whenthe carriage 54 is empty, partially loaded, or fully loaded, thecarriage 54 can be tilted rearward to discharge the bales B1, B2 to theground.

As introduced above, the flow from the hydraulic pumps 224 may becontrolled in various ways (e.g., through control of the various controlvalves 226), in order to cause movement of the hydraulic cylinders 42,98. In this way, for example, a movement of the baler 22 and/or theaccumulator 20 may be implemented by various control signals to thehydraulic pumps 224, control valves 226, and so on. Generally, each ofthe control valves 226 (and cooperating valves on other components) maybe controlled by the controller 228 between one of three positions. Inone example, the control valves 226 have a first, open position, inwhich hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pumps 224 flows into arespective one of the hydraulic cylinders 42, 98; a second, openposition, in which hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pumps 224 isreleased from the respective one of the hydraulic cylinders 42, 98; anda third, closed position, in which hydraulic fluid from the hydraulicpumps 224 does not flow into the respective one of the hydrauliccylinders 42, 98 to maintain a hydraulic pressure within the respectiveone of the hydraulic cylinders 42, 98.

In various embodiments, the sensor(s) 104 are one or more flow sensors,such as volumetric flow sensors, that observe a volumetric flow rateassociated with the hydraulic circuit and generate sensor signals basedthereon, such as a volumetric flow rate associated with the baleseparating member actuator 92 so that a position of the movable baleseparating member 90 is observed relative to the base frame 52. Based onthe volumetric flow rate associated with the bale separating memberactuator 92, an amount of time the control valve 226 associated with thebale separating member actuator 92 is in the first, open position (whichmay be observed by the sensor(s) 104 or another module associated withthe controller 228), and a known bore diameter of a housing 92 b of thebale separating member actuator 92 (which may be stored in a memoryassociated with the controller 228), the controller 228 determines howfar the piston rod 92 a extends outward (an extended length of thehydraulic cylinder 98). Based on how far the piston rod 92 a extends(the extended length of the hydraulic cylinder 98) and a known geometryof the bale separating member actuator 92 relative to the baleseparating member 90 (which may be stored in a memory associated withthe controller 228), the controller 228 determines a position of thebale separating member 90 relative to the base frame 52.

Sensor(s) 2118 are provided on the carriage actuator 2112 or on the baseframe 52 which sense the position of the carriage pusher 2110 relativeto the base frame 52.

Referring now also to FIG. 10, a dataflow diagram illustrates anembodiment of the bale accumulation control system 220, which may beimplemented within an accumulation system controller 322 that may beembedded within the controller 228 or one or more separate controllers.The accumulation system controller 322 may communicate with elements ofthe baler 22, including other controllers, control modules, or ECUs ofthe baler 22, as well as actuators and sensors discussed below. Variousembodiments of the accumulation system controller 322 according to thepresent disclosure can include any number of sub-modules. As can beappreciated, the sub-modules shown in FIG. 10 can be combined and/orfurther partitioned to similarly output one or more control signals tothe control valves 226, the bale separating member actuator 92, andother systems of the baler 22. Inputs to the accumulation systemcontroller 322 are received from the sensors 104, 232, received from theoperator interface 230, received from other control modules (not shown)associated with the baler 22 and/or the accumulator 20, and/ordetermined/modeled by other sub-modules (not shown) within thecontroller 228. In various embodiments, the accumulation systemcontroller 322 includes an operator interface control module 324, anactuator control module 328 and a baler interface module 330.

The operator interface control module 324 receives input data 332 froman operator's manipulation of the operator interface 230 that comprisesinput indicating an operator's desire to form the bales B1, B2 with thebaler 22.

The operator interface control module 324 interprets the input data 332.If the input data 332 indicates that the operator desires to bale crop,the operator interface control module 324 sets a first bale request 334for appropriate module or system of the baler 22, the actuator controlmodule 328, and the baler interface module 330 to initiate a first baleroutine. The first bale request 334 is a notification that the operatordesires to form and accumulate bales on the accumulator 20. The firstbale routine includes forming the first bale B1; receiving, by theaccumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensor 104associated with the position of the bale separating member 90;determining, by the accumulation system controller 322, whether the baleseparating member 90 is located within the first bale receiving area 78a of the crop package carrying area 78; and when the bale separatingmember 90 is determined to be within the first bale receiving area 78 a,clearing, by the accumulation system controller 322 controlling the baleseparating member actuator 92, the bale separating member 90 from thefirst bale receiving area 78 a by moving the bale separating member 90relative to the carriage 54, which in turn, causes the carriage 54 tomove relative to the base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from the appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates whenthe first bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34 as awrap and discharge notification 338 for the baler interface module 330.Such indications may be based on, for example, sensor signals fromsensors 232 on the baler 22. As such, the wrap and dischargenotification 338 is provided to the baler interface module 330 andindicates that the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34 is fullyformed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 receives as input position sensor data340 which indicates the position of the bale separating member 90. Theinput position sensor data 340 comprises sensor signals or sensor datareceived from the sensor 104, as an example. The actuator control module328 processes the sensor signals, determines a current position of themovable bale separating member 90, and sets the position of the baleseparating member 90 to the first position. In various embodiments, theactuator control module 328 compares the desired position to the currentposition, and if the current position is not equal to the desiredposition, the actuator control module 328 outputs open valve controlsignal 342. The open valve control signal 342 comprise a control signalfor the control valves 226 to open to the first, open position to drivethe bale separating member actuator 92 to move the movable baleseparating member 90. Based on the outputting of the open valve controlsignal 342, the actuator control module 328 receives as input orresamples the input position sensor data 340. Based on the inputposition sensor data 340, the actuator control module 328 determines acurrent position of the movable bale separating member 90. If thecurrent position of the movable bale separating member 90 is not equalto the desired position (set based on the input position sensor data340), the actuator control module 328 moves the movable bale separatingmember 90 and continues to monitor or determine the current position ofthe movable bale separating member 90 until the current position of themovable bale separating member 90 is substantially equal to the desiredposition. Once the current position of the movable bale separatingmember 90 is equal to the desired position, the actuator control module328 outputs close valve control signal 344. The close valve controlsignal 344 comprise control signal for the control valves 226 to move tothe third, closed position to close to maintain the position of themovable bale separating member 90 in the first position. Once thecurrent position of the movable bale separating member 90 is equal tothe first position, the actuator control module 328 sets an actuatorposition notification 346 for the baler interface module 330. Theactuator position notification 346 indicates that the movable baleseparating member 90 is in the first position and ready to receive thefirst bale B1 from the baler 22.

The baler interface module 330 receives as input the wrap and dischargenotification 338 from the ECU of the baler 22. Based on the wrap anddischarge notification 338, the baler interface module 330 determineswhether the actuator position notification 346 has been received thatindicates that the movable bale separating member 90 is in the firstposition. If true, the baler interface module 330 outputs a dischargecommand 348. The discharge command 348 is a command that is output toappropriate elements of the baler 22 to command the baler 22 to activatethe wrap feed and cut-off system of the baler 22 to apply wrap materialabout the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34, open thedischarge gate 38 and discharge the first bale B1 from the bale formingchamber, actuate the transfer mechanism 50 to move the first bale B1into the carriage 54 after the first bale B1 has been wrapped anddischarged, and close the discharge gate 38. After the first bale B1 isdischarged from the baler 22, the discharge gate 38 is closed, and thebaler 22 initiates the formation of the second bale B2 in the baleforming chamber 34.

After the first bale B1 is received on the carriage 54, the balerinterface module 330 outputs a second bale request 352 to the actuatorcontrol module 328 to initiate a second bale routine. The second baleroutine includes forming the second bale B2; receiving, by theaccumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensor 104associated with the position of the bale separating member 90;determining, by the accumulation system controller 322, whether the baleseparating member 90 is located within the first bale receiving area 78a of the crop package carrying area 78; and when the bale separatingmember 90 is determined to be within the first bale receiving area 78 a,clearing, by the accumulation system controller 322 controlling the baleseparating member actuator 92, the bale separating member 90 from thefirst bale receiving area 78 a by moving the bale separating member 90relative to the carriage 54, which in turn, causes the carriage 54 tomove relative to the base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from an appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates whenthe second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34, againas the wrap and discharge notification 338. As such, the wrap anddischarge notification 338 is provided to the baler interface module 330and indicates that the second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34 isfully formed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 processes the sensor signals from thesensor 104, determines a current position of the movable bale separatingmember 90, and sets the position of the bale separating member 90 to thesecond position. Once the current position of the movable baleseparating member 90 is equal to the second position, the actuatorcontrol module 328 sets the actuator position notification 346 for thebaler interface module 330. The actuator position notification 346indicates that the movable bale separating member 90 is in the secondposition and ready to receive the second bale B2 from the baler 22.

As noted above, based on the wrap and discharge notification 338, thebaler interface module 330 determines whether the actuator positionnotification 346 has been received that indicates that the movable baleseparating member 90 is in the second position. If true, the balerinterface module 330 outputs the discharge command 348. The dischargecommand 348 is a command that is output to the appropriate elements ofthe baler 22 to command the baler 22 to activate the wrap feed andcut-off system of the baler 22 to apply wrap material about the secondbale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34, open the discharge gate 38 anddischarge the second bale B2 from the bale forming chamber, actuate thetransfer mechanism 50 to move the second bale B2 into the carriage 54after the second bale B2 has been wrapped and discharged, and close thedischarge gate 38. After the second bale B2 is discharged from the baler22, the discharge gate 38 is closed, and the baler 22 awaits the nextcommand from the user.

In an embodiment, after the second bale B2 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a received bales notification354. The bales received notification 354 is sent to the actuator controlmodule 328 which commands the actuator control module 328 to move themovable bale separating member 90 to the third position. The actuatorcontrol module 328 processes the sensor signals from the sensor 104,determines a current position of the movable bale separating member 90,and sets the position of the bale separating member 90 to the thirdposition. The received bales notification 354 may be sent to theoperator interface 230 to indicate to the operator that the bales B1, B2are on the accumulator 20 and further action is ready to be taken, suchas a command to tip the accumulator 20 to dump or deposit the bales B1,B2 onto the ground so that another baling operation can take place.

In some alternate embodiment, after the first bale B1 is received on thecarriage 54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a centeringnotification to the actuator control module 328. In response, theactuator control module 328 commands the actuator control module 328 tomove the movable bale separating member 90 to the third position. Whenthe wrap and discharge notification 338 is received indicating that thefirst bale B1 is formed, the baler interface module 330 outputs a secondposition notification (not shown) to the actuator control module 328which commands the actuator control module 328 to move the movable baleseparating member 90 to the second position prior to receipt of thesecond bale B2 on the accumulator 20.

In some embodiments, the gate sensor 234 is configured to detect theposition of the discharge gate 38; and the accumulation systemcontroller 322 is configured to initiate each of the first bale routineand the second bale routine upon the accumulation system controller 322receiving input signals from the gate sensor 234 that the discharge gate38 is open or opening.

In a further embodiment, the accumulation control system 220 includes atilt sensor 236 for detecting a roll angle of the accumulator 20 or thebaler 22, for example when the accumulator 20 is traverses an inclinedsurface. The accumulation system controller 322 initiates a tiltcompensation routine in which the controller 238 receives positionsignals from the sensor 104; receives tilt signals from the tilt sensor236; determines, based on the position and tilt signals, whether one ormore of the first bale and the second bale should be positioned at anuphill side of the accumulator; and moves one or more of the first baleB1 and the second bale B2 to the uphill side of the accumulator 20 bycontrolling the bale separating member actuator 92 to move the carriage54 relative to the base frame 52.

Referring now also to FIGS. 11A and 11B, a flowchart illustrates amethod 400 that may be performed by the accumulation system controller322 of FIG. 10 for use with the embodiments of FIGS. 1-10. The movementof the front rail 74 described above is not included in the flowchart,but appropriate steps would be provided for the movement of the frontrail 74. As can be appreciated in light of the disclosure, the order ofoperation within the method 400 is not limited to the sequentialexecution as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, but may be performed inone or more varying orders as applicable and in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

In one example, the method 400 begins at step 402. At step 404, themethod 400 determines whether bale input data 332 has been received, viathe operator's manipulation of the human-machine or operator interface230. If no, then at step 406, the method 400 loops to start step 402. Ifyes, the method 400 proceeds to step 406, and determines whether thebale separating member 90 is in the first position (by processing theinput position sensor data 340). If no, then at step 408, the method 400outputs the open valve control signal 342 to move the bale separatingmember 90 to the first position and then returns to step 406. If yes,the method 400 proceeds to step 410.

At step 410, the method 400 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe first position of the bale separating member 90.

At 412, the method 400 outputs the first bale request 334 to the ECU ofthe baler 22 to start the first baling operation to form the first baleB1. At step 414, the method 400 receives and processes the sensor data336 and determines if the first bale B1 is fully formed in the baleforming chamber 34. At step 416, the method 400 determines whether thefirst bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34. If no, themethod 400 loops to step 414. If yes, the method 400 proceeds to 418. Atstep 418, the method 400 outputs the discharge command 348 to the baler22.

The method 400 then proceeds to step 420. At step 420, the method 400outputs the one or more open valve control signals 342 to move the baleseparating member 90 from the first position to the second position.

At step 422, the method 400 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe second position of the bale separating member 90.

At step 424, the method 400 outputs the outputs the second bale request352 to the baler 22 to commence forming the second bale B2. It is to beunderstood that step 424 can be performed immediately after step 418. Atstep 426, the method 400 receives and processes the sensor data 336 anddetermines if the second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale formingchamber 34. At step 428, the method 400 determines whether the secondbale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34. If no, themethod 400 loops to step 426. If yes, the method 400 proceeds to step430. At step 430, the method 400 outputs the discharge command 348 tothe baler 22.

The method 400 then proceeds to step 432. At step 432, the method 400outputs the one or more open valve control signals 342 to move the baleseparating member 90 from the second position to the third position.

At step 434, the method 400 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe third position of the bale separating member 90.

At step 436, the method 400 ends.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be accepted onto the accumulator 20.

In FIGS. 12-18, a second embodiment of the actuating mechanism 1056 foruse with the accumulation control system 220 is shown. Unless otherwisenoted, the actuating mechanism 1056 may have elements similar to thosediscussed above with reference to actuating mechanism 56. The actuatingmechanism 1056 includes a bale separating member 1090 coupled to a baleseparating member actuator 1092 which is fixedly coupled to the carriage54, and a carriage pusher 1110 coupled to a carriage actuator 1112 whichis fixedly coupled to the base frame 52. The front and rear rails 74, 76are not shown in FIGS. 13-18 for clarity.

The bale separating member 1090 includes a lower flange 1094 coupled toan upper flange 1096. The lower flange 1094 extends through the slot 80in the platform 68 of the carriage 54, and is fixedly coupled to thebale separating member actuator 1092 which is mounted on a lower surfaceof the platform 68. The upper flange 1096 extends upwardly from theplatform 68 to divide the crop package carrying area 78 into the intofirst and second bale receiving areas 78 a, 78 b. The bale separatingmember 1090 can be laterally slid relative to the carriage 54 by thebale separating member actuator 1092 in the directions 84, 86. In anembodiment, the crop package carrying area 78 defines a width which isslightly larger than the width of two bales B1, B2 and a width of thebale separating member 1090.

In an embodiment, the bale separating member actuator 1092 includes ahydraulic cylinder 1098 having an extendable and retractable piston rod1098 a mounted in a housing 1098 b. The piston rod 1098 a is attached tothe lower flange 1094 of the bale separating member 1090. The hydrauliccylinder 1098 is fluidly coupled to the hydraulic system of the baler22. For example, the bale separating member actuator 1092 may includeone or more hydraulic lines that connect the hydraulic cylinder 1098with the hydraulic supply. One or more electro-hydraulic control valvesof the hydraulic system of the baler 22 may be in fluid communicationwith the bale separating member actuator 1092 and electrically activatedaccording to signals that control the flow of hydraulic fluid betweenthe hydraulic supply and the hydraulic cylinder 1098. The hydrauliccylinder 1098 is responsive to the hydraulic fluid received from thehydraulic system to move the bale separating member 1090. In anembodiment, the bale separating member actuator 1092 includes a wormgear or a rack and pinion system which is attached to the lower flange1094 of the bale separating member 1090. Retraction of the baleseparating member actuator 1092 moves the bale separating member 1090 inthe first direction 84. Extension of the bale separating member actuator1092 moves the bale separating member 1090 in the second direction 86.Other actuating mechanisms are within the scope of the presentdisclosure, provided movement of the bale separating member 1090relative to the carriage 54 is provided.

Sensor(s) 1104 are provided on the bale separating member actuator 1092or on the carriage 54 which sense the position of the bale separatingmember 1090 relative to the carriage 54.

The carriage actuator 1112 is mounted on the web 66 of the base frame52. The carriage pusher 1110 is fixedly connected to the carriageactuator 1112 and to the underside of the carriage 54. The carriage 54can be laterally slid relative to the base frame 52 by the carriageactuator 1112 in the directions 84, 86. In an embodiment, the carriageactuator 1112 includes a hydraulic cylinder 1116 having an extendableand retractable piston rod 1116 a mounted in a housing 1116 b. Thehydraulic cylinder 1116 is fluidly coupled to the hydraulic system ofthe baler 22. For example, the carriage actuator 1112 may include one ormore hydraulic lines that connect the hydraulic cylinder 1116 with thehydraulic supply. One or more electro-hydraulic control valves of thehydraulic system of the baler 22 may be in fluid communication with thecarriage actuator 1112 and electrically activated according to signalsfrom the ECU of the baler 22 to control the flow of hydraulic fluidbetween the hydraulic supply and the hydraulic cylinder 1116. Thehydraulic cylinder 1116 is responsive to the hydraulic fluid receivedfrom the hydraulic system to move the carriage actuator 1112. In anembodiment, the carriage actuator 1112 includes a worm gear or a rackand pinion system which is attached to the carriage 54. Extension of thecarriage actuator 1112 moves the carriage pusher 1110 and the carriage54 in the first direction 84. Retraction of the carriage actuator 1112moves the carriage pusher 1110 and the carriage 54 in the seconddirection 86. Other actuating mechanisms are within the scope of thepresent disclosure, provided movement of the carriage 54 relative to thebase frame 52 is provided.

Sensor(s) 1118 are provided on the carriage actuator 1112 or on the baseframe 52 which sense the position of the carriage pusher 1110 relativeto the base frame 52.

Operation of the accumulator 20 is now described with regard to theaccumulator 20 receiving two bales B1 and B2. For ease in description,the positioning of the carriage 54 is described to that shown in FIGS.13-18.

Initially, as shown in FIG. 13, the bale separating member 1090 and thecarriage 54 are positioned a first position relative to the base frame52 such that the bale separating member 1090 is positioned off to oneside of the discharge gate 38 such that the crop package carrying area78 is partitioned into the first and second bale receiving areas 78 a,78 b and the carriage 54 is centered behind the baler 22. As such, inthe first position, the bale separating member 1090 is positioned to theright of the center of the carriage 54 as shown in FIG. 13. Thesensor(s) 1104, 1118 sense the position of the bale separating member1090 relative to the carriage 54 and the carriage 54 relative to thebase frame 52. If the bale separating member 1090 is not in the firstposition, then the bale separating member actuator 1092 is actuated tomove the bale separating member 1090 until the bale separating member1090 is in the first position. If the carriage 54 is not in the firstposition, then the carriage actuator 1112 is actuated to move thecarriage pusher 1110 until the carriage 54 is in the first position.

The baler 22 forms a first bale B1 in a manner known in the art, thedischarge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moved downward, andthe first bale B1 is transferred into the first bale receiving area 78 aby the transfer mechanism 50. Once the bale B1 is clear of the dischargegate 38, the discharge gate 38 is closed, the front rail 74 is movedupward, and the baler 22 commences forming a second bale B2 in the baleforming chamber 34. The first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54into the first bale receiving area 78 a, see FIG. 14, which is proximateto the left side of the bale separating member 1090. A space 106 havinga width which is equal to approximately half of the width of the firstbale B1 is formed in the first bale receiving area 78 a and is providedbetween the left end of the first bale B1 and the left side wall 70 ofthe carriage 54.

After the bale B1 has been deposited onto the carriage 54 into the firstbale receiving area 78 a, the bale separating member actuator 1092 isactuated to move the bale separating member 1090 laterally to the leftin the first direction 84 relative to the carriage 54 as shown in FIG.15. When the bale separating member 1090 is moved laterally to the left,the bale separating member 1090 contacts the side of the first bale B1and slides the first bale B1 into the space 106 as shown in FIG. 15until the opposite side of the first bale B1 is against the left sidewall 70. The sensor(s) 1104 sense the position of the bale separatingmember 1090 relative to the carriage 54 and when a position is sensed bythe sensor(s) 1104 that the first bale B1 is against the left side wall70, the bale separating member actuator 1092 is deactivated so thatmovement of the bale separating member 1090 is stopped.

The carriage actuator 1112 is then actuated to cause the carriage 54 tomove laterally to the left in the first direction 84 relative to thebase frame 52 as shown in FIG. 16. This lateral movement is continueduntil the bale separating member 1090 is positioned at a second positionwhich is on the left side of the discharge gate 38, and a space 108 isformed in the second bale receiving area 78 b between the baleseparating member 1090 and the right side wall 72 rearwardly of thedischarge gate 38. The carriage 54 is moved until the bale separatingmember 1090 is positioned laterally outwardly of where a second bale B2is discharged from the discharge gate 38 and such that the space 108 isprovided between the right side of the bale separating member 1090 andthe right side wall 72 which is wide enough to accommodate the secondbale B2. The sensor(s) 1118 sense the position of the carriage pusher1110 relative to the base frame 52 and when the second position issensed by the sensor(s) 1118, the carriage actuator 1112 is deactivatedso that movement of the carriage 54 is stopped.

The bale separating member actuator 1092 can be activated first and thecarriage actuator 1112 actuated second in order to position the baleseparating member 1090 into the second position. Alternatively, thecarriage actuator 1112 can be activated first and the bale separatingmember actuator 1092 actuated second in order to position the baleseparating member 1090 into the second position. Yet as a furtheralternative, the bale separating member actuator 1092 and the carriageactuator 1112 can be actuated simultaneously to move the carriage 54 andthe bale separating member 1090 into the second position.

Mechanical hard stops (not shown) may be provided to prevent furthermovement of the bale separating member actuator 1092 in the firstdirection 84, thereby preventing the bale separating member actuator1092 from squeezing and deforming the first bale B1. Alternatively, thefurther movement of the bale separating member actuator 1092 in thefirst direction 84 may be limited by the stroke of the cylinder 1098.

When the second bale B2 is completely formed in the manner known in theart, the discharge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moveddownward, and the second bale B2 is deposited into the space 108 in thesecond bale receiving area 78 b and onto the carriage 54 as shown inFIG. 17. The second bale B2 is deposited into the space 108 and onto thecarriage 54 such that the second bale B2 is proximate to the right sideof the bale separating member 1090 and proximate to the right side wall72. Thereafter, the front rail 74 is moved upward.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

In some embodiments, the carriage actuator 1112 is then actuated to movethe carriage 54 and thus the bale separating member 1090 laterally tothe right in the second direction 86. This lateral rightward movement iscontinued until the carriage 54 and thus the bale separating member 1090are positioned into a third position which is centered behind the baler22 as shown in FIG. 18. This will cause the center of gravity of theloaded accumulator 20 to be in line with the center of gravity of thebaler 22. The sensor(s) 1118 sense the position of the carriage 54relative to the base frame 52 and when the third position is sensed bythe sensor(s) 1118, the carriage actuator 1112 is deactivated so thatmovement of the carriage 54 is stopped. During this movement, thecarriage 54 may extend laterally outwardly to one of the sides of thebaler 22. Mechanical hard stops (not shown) may be provided to preventfurther movement of the bale separating member actuator 1092 in thesecond direction 86, thereby preventing the bale separating memberactuator 1092 from squeezing and deforming the second bale B2.Alternatively, the further movement of the bale separating memberactuator 1092 in the second direction 86 may be limited by the stroke ofthe cylinder 1098.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be deposited onto the carriage 54.

When the bales B1, B2 are ready to be discharged from the accumulator20, the rear rail 76 is moved down and the bales B1, B2 are removed fromthe carriage 54. In an embodiment, the carriage 54 is pivotably coupledby suitable mechanisms (not shown) to the base frame 52 such that whenthe carriage 54 is empty, partially loaded, or fully loaded, thecarriage 54 can be tilted rearward to discharge the bales B1, B2 to theground.

In some embodiments, passive or active mechanisms (not shown) whichcenter the carriage 54 on the base frame 52 may be provided, such assprings, hydraulic cylinders, and so on. In some embodiments, passive oractive mechanisms (not shown) which prevent the carriage 54 from movingrelative to the base frame 52 when the carriage 54 is unloaded (no balesB1, B2 are on the carriage 54) or when the carriage only has a singlebale B1 loaded thereon when the carriage 54 is any position relative tothe base frame 52 are provided, such as springs, manual or automatedlatches, locks, keys or stops; bearings with prescribed rolling orsliding frictions; and so on.

With reference to the dataflow diagram of FIG. 10, the operatorinterface control module 324 receives input data 332 from an operator'smanipulation of the operator interface 230 that comprises input thatindicates an operator's desire to form the bales B1, B2 with the baler22.

The operator interface control module 324 interprets the input data 332.If the input data 332 indicates that the operator desires to bale crop,the operator interface control module 324 sets a first bale request 334for the appropriate module or system of the baler 22, the actuatorcontrol module 328 and the baler interface module 330 to initiate afirst bale routine. The first bale request 334 is a notification thatthe operator desires to form and accumulate bales on the accumulator 20.The first bale routine includes forming the first bale B1; receiving, bythe accumulation system controller 322, position signals from thesensors 1104, 1118 associated with the position of the bale separatingmember 1090 and the carriage 54; determining, by the accumulation systemcontroller 322, whether the bale separating member 1090 is locatedwithin the first bale receiving area 78 a of the crop package carryingarea 78; and when the bale separating member 1090 is determined to bewithin the first bale receiving area 78 a, clearing, by the accumulationsystem controller 322 controlling the bale separating member actuator 92and/or the carriage actuator 1112, the bale separating member 90 fromthe first bale receiving area 78 a by moving the bale separating member90 relative to the carriage 54 and/or moving the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from the appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates whenthe first bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34 as awrap and discharge notification 338 for the baler interface module 330.Such indications may be based on, for example, sensor signals fromsensors 232 on the baler 22. As such, the wrap and dischargenotification 338 is provided to the baler interface module 330 andindicates that the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34 is fullyformed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 receives as input position sensor data340 which indicates the position of the bale separating member 1090 andthe carriage 54. The input position sensor data 340 comprises sensorsignals or sensor data received from the sensors 1104, 1118. Theactuator control module 328 processes the sensor signals from thesensors 1104, 1118, determines a current position of the movable baleseparating member 1090 and the carriage 54, and sets the position of thebale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 to the first position.In various embodiments, the actuator control module 328 compares thedesired position to the current position, and if the current position isnot equal to the desired position, the actuator control module 328outputs open valve control signal 342. The open valve control signal 342comprise control signals for the control valves 226 to open to thefirst, open position to drive the bale separating member actuator 1092to move the movable bale separating member 1090 and/or to drive thecarriage actuator 1112 to move the movable carriage 54. Based on theoutputting of the open valve control signal 342, the actuator controlmodule 328 receives as input or resamples the input position sensor data340. Based on the input position sensor data 340, the actuator controlmodule 328 determines a current position of the movable bale separatingmember 1090 and the carriage 54. If the current position of the movablebale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 is not equal to thedesired position (set based on the input position sensor data 340), theactuator control module 328 moves the movable bale separating member1090 and/or the carriage 54 and continues to monitor or determine thecurrent position of the movable bale separating member 1090 and thecarriage 54 until the current position of the movable bale separatingmember 1090 and the carriage 54 is substantially equal to the desiredposition. Once the current position of the movable bale separatingmember 1090 and the carriage 54 is equal to the desired position, theactuator control module 328 outputs close valve control signal 344. Theclose valve control signal 344 comprise control signal for the controlvalves 226 to move to the third, closed position to close to maintainthe position of the movable bale separating member 1090 and the carriage54 in the first position. Once the current position of the movable baleseparating member 1090 and the carriage 54 is equal to the firstposition, the actuator control module 328 sets an actuator positionnotification 346 for the baler interface module 330. The actuatorposition notification 346 indicates that the movable bale separatingmember 1090 and the carriage 54 are in the first position and ready toreceive the first bale B1 from the baler 22.

The baler interface module 330 receives as input the wrap and dischargenotification 338 from the baler 22. Based on the wrap and dischargenotification 338, the baler interface module 330 determines whether theactuator position notification 346 has been received that indicates thatthe movable bale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 are in thefirst position. If true, the baler interface module 330 outputs adischarge command 348. The discharge command 348 is a command that isoutput to the appropriate system of the baler 22 to command the baler 22to activate the wrap feed and cut-off system of the baler 22 to applywrap material about the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34,open the discharge gate 38 and discharge the first bale B1 from the baleforming chamber, actuate the transfer mechanism 50 to move the firstbale B1 into the carriage 54 after the first bale B1 has been wrappedand discharged, and close the discharge gate 38. After the first bale B1is discharged from the baler 22, the discharge gate 38 is closed, andthe baler 22 initiates the formation of the second bale B2 in the baleforming chamber 34.

After the first bale B1 is received on the carriage 54, the balerinterface module 330 outputs a second bale request 352 to the actuatorcontrol module 328 to initiate a second bale routine. The second baleroutine includes forming the second bale B2; receiving, by theaccumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensors1104, 1118 associated with the position of the bale separating member1090 and the carriage 54; determining, by the accumulation systemcontroller 322, whether the bale separating member 1090 is locatedwithin the first bale receiving area 78 a of the crop package carryingarea 78; and when the bale separating member 1090 is determined to bewithin the first bale receiving area 78 a, clearing, by the accumulationsystem controller 322 controlling the bale separating member actuator 92and/or the carriage actuator 1112, the bale separating member 90 fromthe first bale receiving area 78 a by moving the bale separating member90 relative to the carriage 54 and/or moving the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from an appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates thatthe second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34, againas the wrap and discharge notification 338. As such, the wrap anddischarge notification 338 is provided to the baler interface module 330and indicates that the second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34 isfully formed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 processes the sensor signals from thesensors 1104, 1118, determines a current position of the movable baleseparating member 1090, and sets the position of the bale separatingmember 1090 and the carriage 54 to the second position. Once the currentposition of the movable bale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54are equal to the second position, the actuator control module 328 setsthe actuator position notification 346 for the baler interface module330. The actuator position notification 346 indicates that the movablebale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 are in the secondposition and ready to receive the second bale B2 from the baler 22.

As noted above, based on the wrap and discharge notification 338, thebaler interface module 330 determines whether the actuator positionnotification 346 has been received that indicates that the movable baleseparating member 1090 and the carriage 54 are in the second position.If true, the baler interface module 330 outputs the discharge command348. The discharge command 348 is a command that is output to the ECU ofthe baler 22 to command the baler 22 to activate the wrap feed andcut-off system of the baler 22 to apply wrap material about the secondbale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34, open the discharge gate 38 anddischarge the second bale B2 from the bale forming chamber, actuate thetransfer mechanism 50 to move the second bale B2 into the carriage 54after the second bale B2 has been wrapped and discharged, and close thedischarge gate 38. After the second bale B2 is discharged from the baler22, the discharge gate 38 is closed, and the baler 22 awaits the nextcommand from the user.

In an embodiment, after the second bale B2 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a received balesnotification. The bales received notification is sent to the actuatorcontrol module 328 which commands the actuator control module 328 tomove the movable bale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 to thethird position. The actuator control module 328 processes the sensorsignals from the sensors 1104, 1118, determines a current position ofthe movable bale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54, and setsthe position of the bale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 tothe third position. The received bales notification 354 may be sent tothe operator interface 230 to indicate to the operator that the balesB1, B2 are on the accumulator 20 and further action is ready to betaken, such as a command to tip the accumulator 20 to dump or depositthe bales B1, B2 onto the ground so that another baling operation cantake place.

In an embodiment, after the first bale B1 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a centering notification tothe actuator control module 328. In response, the actuator controlmodule 328 commands the actuator control module 328 to move the movablebale separating member 1090 and the carriage 54 to the third position.When the wrap and discharge notification 338 is received indicating thatthe first bale B1 is formed, the baler interface module 330 outputs asecond position notification to the actuator control module 328 whichcommands the actuator control module 328 to move the movable baleseparating member 1090 and the carriage 54 to the second position priorto receipt of the second bale B2 on the accumulator 20

In some embodiments, the gate sensor 234 is configured to detect theposition of the discharge gate 38; and the accumulation systemcontroller 322 is configured to initiate each of the first bale routineand the second bale routine upon the accumulation system controller 322receiving input signals from the gate sensor 234 that the discharge gate38 is open or opening.

In a further embodiment, the accumulation control system 220 includes atilt sensor 236 for detecting a roll angle of the accumulator 20 or thebaler 22, for example when the accumulator 20 is traverses an inclinedsurface. The accumulation system controller 322 initiates a tiltcompensation routine in which the controller 238 receives positionsignals from the sensor 104; receives tilt signals from the tilt sensor236; determines, based on the position and tilt signals, whether one ormore of the first bale and the second bale should be positioned at anuphill side of the accumulator; and moves one or more of the first baleB1 and the second bale B2 to the uphill side of the accumulator 20 bycontrolling the bale separating member actuator 92 to move the carriage54 relative to the base frame 52.

Referring now also to FIGS. 19A and 19B, a flowchart illustrates amethod 500 that may be performed by the accumulation system controller322 of FIG. 10 for use with the embodiments of FIGS. 12-18. The movementof the front rail 74 described above is not included in the flowchart,but appropriate steps would be provided for the movement of the frontrail 74. As can be appreciated in light of the disclosure, the order ofoperation within the method 500 is not limited to the sequentialexecution as illustrated in FIGS. 19A and 19B, but may be performed inone or more varying orders as applicable and in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

In one example, the method 500 begins at step 502. At step 504, themethod 500 determines whether bale input data 332 has been received, viathe operator's manipulation of the human-machine or operator interface230. If no, then at step 506, the method 500 loops to start step 502. Ifyes, the method 500 proceeds to step 506, and determines whether thebale separating member 90 and the carriage 54 are in the first position(by processing the input position sensor data 340). If no, then at step508, the method 500 outputs the open valve control signal 342 to movethe bale separating member 90 and the carriage 54 to the first positionand then returns to step 506. If yes, the method 500 proceeds to step510.

At step 510, the method 500 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe first position of the bale separating member 90 and the carriage 54.

At 512, the method 500 outputs the first bale request 334 to the ECU ofthe baler 22 to start the first baling operation to form the first baleB1. At step 514, the method 500 receives and processes the sensor data336 and determines if the first bale B1 is fully formed in the baleforming chamber 34. At step 516, the method 500 determines whether thefirst bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34. If no, themethod 500 loops to step 514. If yes, the method 500 proceeds to 518. Atstep 518, the method 500 outputs the discharge command 348 to the baler22.

The method 500 then proceeds to step 520. At step 520, the method 500outputs the one or more open valve control signals 342 to move the baleseparating member 90 and the carriage 54 from the first position to thesecond position.

At step 522, the method 500 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe second position of the bale separating member 90 and the carriage54.

At step 524, the method 500 outputs the outputs the second bale request352 to the baler 22 to commence forming the second bale B2. It is to beunderstood that step 524 can be performed immediately after step 518. Atstep 526, the method 500 receives and processes the sensor data 336 anddetermines if the second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale formingchamber 34. At step 528, the method 500 determines whether the secondbale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34. If no, themethod 500 loops to step 526. If yes, the method 500 proceeds to step530. At step 530, the method 500 outputs the discharge command 348 tothe baler 22.

The method 500 then proceeds to step 532. At step 532, the method 500outputs the one or more open valve control signals 342 to move the baleseparating member 90 and the carriage 54 from the second position to thethird position.

At step 534, the method 500 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe third position of the bale separating member 90 and the carriage 54.

At step 536, the method 500 ends.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be accepted onto the accumulator 20.

In FIGS. 20-26, a third embodiment of the actuating mechanism 2056 foruse with the accumulation control system 220 is shown. Unless otherwisenoted, the actuating mechanism 1056 may have elements similar to thosediscussed above with reference to actuating mechanism 56. The actuatingmechanism 2056 includes a bale separating member 2090 fixedly coupled tothe carriage 54, and a carriage pusher 2110 coupled to a carriageactuator 2112. The front and rear rails 74, 76 are not shown in FIGS.21-26 for clarity.

The bale separating member 2090 includes a flange coupled to the uppersurface of the platform 68 and which extends upwardly from the platform68. In FIGS. 20-26, the two rails 68 a, 68 b which form the platform 68can be replaced by a single plate which extends between the side walls70, 72. The bale separating member 2090 divides the crop packagecarrying area 78 into the into first and second bale receiving areas 78a, 78 b. In an embodiment, the crop package carrying area 78 defines awidth which is slightly larger than the width of two bales B1, B2 and awidth of the bale separating member 2090.

The carriage actuator 2112 is mounted on the web 66 of the base frame52. The carriage pusher 2110 is fixedly connected to the carriageactuator 2112 and to the underside of the carriage 54. The carriage 54and the attached fixed bale separating member 2090 can be laterally slidrelative to the base frame 52 by the carriage actuator 2112 in thedirections 84, 86. In an embodiment, the carriage actuator 2112 includesa hydraulic cylinder 2116 having an extendable and retractable pistonrod 2116 a mounted in a housing 2116 b. The hydraulic cylinder 2116 isfluidly coupled to the hydraulic system of the baler 22. For example,the carriage actuator 2112 may include one or more hydraulic lines thatconnect the hydraulic cylinder 2116 with the hydraulic supply. One ormore electro-hydraulic control valves of the hydraulic system of thebaler 22 may be in fluid communication with the carriage actuator 2112and electrically activated according to signals that control the flow ofhydraulic fluid between the hydraulic supply and the hydraulic cylinder2116. The hydraulic cylinder 2116 is responsive to the hydraulic fluidreceived from the hydraulic system to move the carriage actuator 2112.In an embodiment, the carriage actuator 2112 includes a worm gear or arack and pinion system which is attached to the carriage 54. As shown,extension of the carriage actuator 2112 moves the carriage pusher 2110and the carriage 54 in the first direction 84, and retraction of thecarriage actuator 2112 moves the carriage pusher 2110 and the carriage54 in the second direction 86. The carriage actuator 2122 can be flippedso that retraction of the carriage actuator 2112 moves the carriagepusher 2110 and the carriage 54 in the first direction 84, and extensionof the carriage actuator 2112 moves the carriage pusher 2110 and thecarriage 54 in the second direction 86. Other actuating mechanisms arewithin the scope of the present disclosure, provided movement of thecarriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 is provided.

Operation of the accumulator 20 is now described with regard to theaccumulator 20 receiving two bales B1 and B2. For ease in description,the positioning of the carriage 54 is described to that shown in FIGS.21-26.

FIG. 21 shows the carriage 54 and the bale separating member 2090positioned directly behind the baler 22. To receive the first bale B1,initially, as shown in FIG. 22, the carriage 54 and bale separatingmember 2090 are moved to be positioned a first position relative to thebase frame 52 such that the bale separating member 2090 is positionedoff to one side of the discharge gate 38 and the carriage 54 isoff-center from behind the baler 22. As such, in the first position, thebale separating member 2090 is positioned to the right of the center ofthe carriage 54 as shown in FIG. 22. The sensor(s) 2118 sense theposition of the carriage 54 and thus the bale separating member 2090relative to the base frame 52. If the carriage 54 is not in the firstposition, then the carriage actuator 2112 is actuated to move thecarriage 54 until the carriage 54 and the bale separating member 2090are in the first position.

The baler 22 forms a first bale B1 in a manner known in the art, thedischarge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moved downward, thefirst bale B1 is transferred into the first bale receiving area 78 a bythe transfer mechanism 50. Once the bale B1 is clear of the dischargegate 38, the discharge gate 38 is closed and the baler 22 commencesforming a second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34. The first baleB1 is deposited onto the carriage 54 into the first bale receiving area78 a, see FIG. 23, which is between to the left side of the baleseparating member 2090 and the right side of the left side wall 70 ofthe carriage 54. Thereafter, the front rail 74 is moved upward.

After the bale B1 has been deposited onto the carriage 54 into the firstbale receiving area 78 a, the carriage actuator 2112 is actuated tocause the carriage 54 to move laterally to the left in the firstdirection 84 relative to the base frame 52 as shown in FIG. 24. Thislateral movement is continued until the bale separating member 2090 ispositioned at a second position which is on the left side of thedischarge gate 38, and the second bale receiving area 78 b is rearwardof the discharge gate 38. The carriage 54 is moved until the baleseparating member 2090 is positioned laterally outwardly of where asecond bale B2 is discharged from the discharge gate 38. The sensor(s)2118 sense the position of the carriage pusher 2110 relative to the baseframe 52 and when the second position is sensed by the sensor(s) 2118,the carriage actuator 2112 is deactivated so that movement of thecarriage 54 is stopped.

When the second bale B2 is completely formed in the manner known in theart, the discharge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moveddownward, and the second bale B2 is deposited into the second balereceiving area 78 b and onto the carriage 54 as shown in FIG. 25. Thesecond bale B2 is deposited onto the carriage 54 such that the secondbale B2 is proximate to the right side of the bale separating member2090 and proximate to the right side wall 72. Thereafter, the front rail74 is moved upward.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

Thereafter, the carriage actuator 2112 is actuated to move the carriage54 and thus the bale separating member 2090 laterally to the right inthe second direction 86 as shown in FIG. 26. This lateral rightwardmovement is continued until the carriage 54 and the bale separatingmember 2090 are positioned into a third position which is centeredbehind the baler 22 as shown in FIG. 26. This will cause the center ofgravity of the loaded accumulator 20 to be in line with the center ofgravity of the baler 22. The sensor(s) 2118 sense the position of thecarriage 54 and thus the bale separating member 2090 relative to thebase frame 52 and when the third position is sensed by the sensor(s)2118, the carriage actuator 2112 is deactivated so that movement of thecarriage 54 is stopped. During this movement, the carriage 54 may extendlaterally outwardly to one of the sides of the baler 22.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be deposited onto the carriage 54.

When the bales B1, B2 are ready to be discharged from the accumulator20, the rear rail 76 is moved down and the bales B1, B2 are removed fromthe carriage 54. In an embodiment, the carriage 54 is pivotably coupledby suitable mechanisms (not shown) to the base frame 52 such that whenthe carriage 54 is empty, partially loaded, or fully loaded, thecarriage 54 can be tilted rearward to discharge the bales B1, B2 to theground.

With reference to the dataflow diagram of FIG. 10, the operatorinterface control module 324 receives input data 332 from an operator'smanipulation of the operator interface 230 that comprises input thatindicates an operator's desire to form the bales B1, B2 with the baler22.

The operator interface control module 324 interprets the input data 332.If the input data 332 indicates that the operator desires to bale crop,the operator interface control module 324 sets a first bale request 334for the appropriate module or system of the baler 22, the actuatorcontrol module 328 and the baler interface module 330 to initiate afirst bale routine. The first bale request 334 is a notification thatthe operator desires to form and accumulate bales on the accumulator 20.The first bale routine includes forming the first bale B1; receiving, bythe accumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensor2118 associated with the position of the carriage 54 and the affixedbale separating member 2090; determining, by the accumulation systemcontroller 322, whether the first bale receiving area 78 a of thecarriage 54 is located behind the discharge gate 38; and when the firstbale receiving area 78 a of the carriage 54 is determined not to belocated behind the discharge gate 38, moving, by the accumulation systemcontroller 322 controlling the carriage actuator 2112, the carriage 54and the affixed bale separating member 2090 into the first position bymoving the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from the appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates whenthe first bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34 as awrap and discharge notification 338 for the baler interface module 330.Such indications may be based on, for example, sensor signals fromsensors 232 on the baler 22. As such, the wrap and dischargenotification 338 is provided to the baler interface module 330 andindicates that the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34 is fullyformed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 receives as input position sensor data340 which indicates the position of the bale separating member 2090. Theinput position sensor data 340 comprises sensor signals or sensor datareceived from the sensor 2118. The actuator control module 328 processesthe sensor signals from the sensor 2118, determines a current positionof the bale separating member 2090, and sets the position of thecarriage 54 and the bale separating member 2090 to the first position.In various embodiments, the actuator control module 328 compares thedesired position to the current position, and if the current position isnot equal to the desired position, the actuator control module 328outputs open valve control signal 342. The open valve control signal 342comprise a control signal for the control valves 226 to open to thefirst, open position to drive the carriage actuator 2112 to move themovable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090. Basedon the outputting of the open valve control signal 342, the actuatorcontrol module 328 receives as input or resamples the input positionsensor data 340. Based on the input position sensor data 340, theactuator control module 328 determines a current position of the movablecarriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090. If the currentposition of the movable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separatingmember 2090 is not equal to the desired position (set based on the inputposition sensor data 340), the actuator control module 328 moves themovable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 andcontinues to monitor or determine the current position of the movablecarriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 until thecurrent position of the movable carriage 54 and the affixed baleseparating member 2090 is substantially equal to the desired position.Once the current position of the movable carriage 54 and the affixedbale separating member 2090 is equal to the desired position, theactuator control module 328 outputs close valve control signal 344. Theclose valve control signal 344 comprise control signal for the controlvalves 226 to move to the third, closed position to close to maintainthe position of the movable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separatingmember 2090 in the first position. Once the current position of themovable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 is equalto the first position, the actuator control module 328 sets an actuatorposition notification 346 for the baler interface module 330. Theactuator position notification 346 indicates that the movable carriage54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 is in the first positionand ready to receive the first bale B1 from the baler 22.

The baler interface module 330 receives as input the wrap and dischargenotification 338 from the baler 22. Based on the wrap and dischargenotification 338, the baler interface module 330 determines whether theactuator position notification 346 has been received that indicates thatthe movable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 isin the first position. If true, the baler interface module 330 outputs adischarge command 348. The discharge command 348 is a command that isoutput to the appropriate system of the baler 22 to command the baler 22to activate the wrap feed and cut-off system of the baler 22 to applywrap material about the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34,open the discharge gate 38 and discharge the first bale B1 from the baleforming chamber, actuate the transfer mechanism 50 to move the firstbale B1 into the carriage 54 after the first bale B1 has been wrappedand discharged, and close the discharge gate 38. After the first bale B1is discharged from the baler 22, the discharge gate 38 is closed, andthe baler 22 initiates the formation of the second bale B2 in the baleforming chamber 34.

After the first bale B1 is received on the carriage 54, the balerinterface module 330 outputs a second bale request 352 to the actuatorcontrol module 328 to initiate a second bale routine. The second baleroutine includes forming the second bale B2; receiving, by theaccumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensor2118 associated with the position of the carriage 54 and the affixedbale separating member 2090; determining, by the accumulation systemcontroller 322, whether the second bale receiving area 78 b of thecarriage 54 is located behind the discharge gate 38; and when the secondbale receiving area 78 b of the carriage 54 is determined not to belocated behind the discharge gate 38, moving, by the accumulation systemcontroller 322 controlling the carriage actuator 2112, the carriage 54and the affixed bale separating member 2090 into the second position bymoving the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from an appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates thatthe second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34, againas the wrap and discharge notification 338. As such, the wrap anddischarge notification 338 indicates that the second bale B2 in the baleforming chamber 34 is fully formed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 processes the sensor signals from thesensor 2118, determines a current position of the movable carriage 54and the affixed bale separating member 2090, and sets the position ofthe bale separating member 2090 to the second position. Once the currentposition of the movable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separatingmember 2090 is equal to the second position, the actuator control module328 sets the actuator position notification 346 for the baler interfacemodule 330. The actuator position notification 346 indicates that themovable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 is inthe second position and ready to receive the second bale B2 from thebaler 22.

As noted above, based on the wrap and discharge notification 338, thebaler interface module 330 determines whether the actuator positionnotification 346 has been received that indicates that the movablecarriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 is in the secondposition. If true, the baler interface module 330 outputs the dischargecommand 348. The discharge command 348 is a command that is output tothe ECU of the baler 22 to command the baler 22 to activate the wrapfeed and cut-off system of the baler 22 to apply wrap material about thesecond bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34, open the discharge gate38 and discharge the second bale B2 from the bale forming chamber,actuate the transfer mechanism 50 to move the second bale B2 into thecarriage 54 after the second bale B2 has been wrapped and discharged,and close the discharge gate 38. After the second bale B2 is dischargedfrom the baler 22, the discharge gate 38 is closed, and the baler 22awaits the next command from the user.

In an embodiment, after the second bale B2 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a received balesnotification. The bales received notification is sent to the actuatorcontrol module 328 which commands the actuator control module 328 tomove the movable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090to the third position. The actuator control module 328 processes thesensor signals from the sensor 2118, determines a current position ofthe movable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090, andsets the position of the bale separating member 2090 to the thirdposition. The received bales notification 354 may be sent to theoperator interface 230 to indicate to the operator that the bales B1, B2are on the accumulator 20 and further action is ready to be taken, suchas a command to tip the accumulator 20 to dump or deposit the bales B1,B2 onto the ground so that another baling operation can take place.

In an embodiment, after the first bale B1 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a centering notification tothe actuator control module 328. In response, the actuator controlmodule 328 commands the actuator control module 328 to move the movablecarriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 to the thirdposition. When the wrap and discharge notification 338 is receivedindicating that the first bale B1 is formed, the baler interface module330 outputs a second position notification to the actuator controlmodule 328 which commands the actuator control module 328 to move themovable carriage 54 and the affixed bale separating member 2090 to thesecond position prior to receipt of the second bale B2 on theaccumulator 20.

In some embodiments, the gate sensor 234 is configured to detect theposition of the discharge gate 38; and the accumulation systemcontroller 322 is configured to initiate each of the first bale routineand the second bale routine upon the accumulation system controller 322receiving input signals from the gate sensor 234 that the discharge gate38 is open or opening.

In a further embodiment, the accumulation control system 220 includes atilt sensor 236 for detecting a roll angle of the accumulator 20 or thebaler 22, for example when the accumulator 20 is traverses an inclinedsurface. The accumulation system controller 322 initiates a tiltcompensation routine in which the controller 238 receives positionsignals from the sensor 2118; receives tilt signals from the tilt sensor236; determines, based on the position and tilt signals, whether one ormore of the first bale and the second bale should be positioned at anuphill side of the accumulator; and moves one or more of the first baleB1 and the second bale B2 to the uphill side of the accumulator 20 bycontrolling the bale separating member actuator 92 to move the carriage54 relative to the base frame 52.

In FIGS. 27-33, a fourth embodiment of the actuating mechanism 3056 foruse with the accumulation control system 220 is shown. Unless otherwisenoted, the actuating mechanism 1056 may have elements similar to thosediscussed above with reference to actuating mechanism 56. The actuatingmechanism 3056 is identical to the actuating mechanism 2056, except thatthe bale separating member 2090 has been eliminated. Therefore, likereference numerals are used to denote like elements. The front and rearrails 74, 76 are not shown in FIGS. 27-33 for clarity.

In FIGS. 27-33, the two rails 68 a, 68 b which form the platform 68 canbe replaced by a single plate which extends between the side walls 70,72. In an embodiment, the crop package carrying area 78 defines a widthwhich is slightly larger than the width of two bales B1, B2.Alternatively, the crop package carrying area 78 defines a width whichis slightly larger than the width of two bales B1, B2 and a width of aspace which may be equal to the bale separating member 2090 of FIGS.20-26.

The carriage actuator 2112 is mounted on the web 66 of the base frame52. The carriage pusher 2110 is fixedly connected to the carriageactuator 2112 and to the underside of the carriage 54. The carriage 54can be laterally slid relative to the base frame 52 by the carriageactuator 2112 in the directions 84, 86. In an embodiment, the carriageactuator 2112 includes a hydraulic cylinder 2116 having an extendableand retractable piston rod 2116 a mounted in a housing 2116 b. Thehydraulic cylinder 2116 is fluidly coupled to the hydraulic system ofthe baler 22. For example, the carriage actuator 2112 may include one ormore hydraulic lines that connect the hydraulic cylinder 2116 with thehydraulic supply. One or more electro-hydraulic control valves of thehydraulic system of the baler 22 may be in fluid communication with thecarriage actuator 2112 and electrically activated according to signalsthat control the flow of hydraulic fluid between the hydraulic supplyand the hydraulic cylinder 2116. The hydraulic cylinder 2116 isresponsive to the hydraulic fluid received from the hydraulic system tomove the carriage actuator 2112. In an embodiment, the carriage actuator2112 includes a worm gear or a rack and pinion system which is attachedto the carriage 54. As shown, extension of the carriage actuator 2112moves the carriage pusher 2110 and the carriage 54 in the firstdirection 84, and retraction of the carriage actuator 2112 moves thecarriage pusher 2110 and the carriage 54 in the second direction 86. Thecarriage actuator 2122 can be flipped so that retraction of the carriageactuator 2112 moves the carriage pusher 2110 and the carriage 54 in thefirst direction 84, and extension of the carriage actuator 2112 movesthe carriage pusher 2110 and the carriage 54 in the second direction 86.Other actuating mechanisms are within the scope of the presentdisclosure, provided movement of the carriage 54 relative to the baseframe 52 is provided.

Sensor(s) 2118 are provided on the carriage actuator 2112 or on the baseframe 52 which sense the position of the carriage pusher 2110 relativeto the base frame 52.

Operation of the accumulator 20 is now described with regard to theaccumulator 20 receiving two bales B1 and B2. For ease in description,the positioning of the carriage 54 is described to that shown in FIGS.21-26.

FIG. 21 shows the carriage 54 positioned directly behind the baler 22.To receive the first bale B1, initially, as shown in FIG. 22, thecarriage 54 is moved to be positioned a first position relative to thebase frame 52 such that the carriage 54 is off-center from behind thebaler 22. The sensor(s) 2118 sense the position of the carriage 54relative to the base frame 52. If the carriage 54 is not in the firstposition, then the carriage actuator 2112 is actuated to move thecarriage 54 until the carriage 54 is in the first position.

The baler 22 forms a first bale B1 in a manner known in the art, thedischarge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moved downward, thefirst bale B1 is transferred into the first bale receiving area 78 a bythe transfer mechanism 50. Once the bale B1 is clear of the dischargegate 38, the discharge gate 38 is closed and the baler 22 commencesforming a second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34. The first baleB1 is deposited onto the carriage 54 into the first bale receiving area78 a, see FIG. 29, which is proximate to the right side of the left sidewall 70 of the carriage 54. Thereafter, the front rail 74 is movedupward.

After the bale B1 has been deposited onto the carriage 54 into the firstbale receiving area 78 a, the carriage actuator 2112 is actuated tocause the carriage 54 to move laterally to the left in the firstdirection 84 relative to the base frame 52 as shown in FIG. 24. Thislateral movement is continued until the second bale receiving area 78 bis rearward of the discharge gate 38. The sensor(s) 2118 sense theposition of the carriage pusher 2110 relative to the base frame 52 andwhen the second position is sensed by the sensor(s) 2118, the carriageactuator 2112 is deactivated so that movement of the carriage 54 isstopped.

When the second bale B2 is completely formed in the manner known in theart, the discharge gate 38 is opened, the front rail 74 is moveddownward, and the second bale B2 is deposited into the second balereceiving area 78 b and onto the carriage 54 as shown in FIG. 25. Thesecond bale B2 is deposited onto the carriage 54 such that the secondbale B2 is proximate to the right side wall 72. Thereafter, the frontrail 74 is moved upward.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

Thereafter, the carriage actuator 2112 is actuated to move the carriage54 laterally to the right in the second direction 86 as shown in FIG.26. This lateral rightward movement is continued until the carriage 54is positioned into a third position which is centered behind the baler22 as shown in FIG. 26. This will cause the center of gravity of theloaded accumulator 20 to be in line with the center of gravity of thebaler 22. The sensor(s) 2118 sense the position of the carriage 54relative to the base frame 52 and when the third position is sensed bythe sensor(s) 2118, the carriage actuator 2112 is deactivated so thatmovement of the carriage 54 is stopped. During this movement, thecarriage 54 may extend laterally outwardly to one of the sides of thebaler 22.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be deposited onto the carriage 54.

When the bales B1, B2 are ready to be discharged from the accumulator20, the rear rail 76 is moved down and the bales B1, B2 are removed fromthe carriage 54. In an embodiment, the carriage 54 is pivotably coupledby suitable mechanisms (not shown) to the base frame 52 such that whenthe carriage 54 is empty, partially loaded, or fully loaded, thecarriage 54 can be tilted rearward to discharge the bales B1, B2 to theground.

With reference to the dataflow diagram of FIG. 10, the operatorinterface control module 324 receives input data 332 from an operator'smanipulation of the operator interface 230 that comprises input thatindicates an operator's desire to form the bales B1, B2 with the baler22.

The operator interface control module 324 interprets the input data 332.If the input data 332 indicates that the operator desires to bale crop,the operator interface control module 324 sets a first bale request 334for the appropriate module or system of the baler 22, the actuatorcontrol module 328 and the baler interface module 330 to initiate afirst bale routine. The first bale request 334 is a notification thatthe operator desires to form and accumulate bales on the accumulator 20.The first bale routine includes forming the first bale B1; receiving, bythe accumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensor2118 associated with the position of the carriage 54; determining, bythe accumulation system controller 322, whether the first bale receivingarea 78 a of the carriage 54 is located behind the discharge gate 38;and when the first bale receiving area 78 a of the carriage 54 isdetermined not to be located behind the discharge gate 38, moving, bythe accumulation system controller 322 controlling the carriage actuator2112, the carriage 54 into the first position by moving the carriage 54relative to the base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from the appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates whenthe first bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34 as awrap and discharge notification 338 for the baler interface module 330.Such indications may be based on, for example, sensor signals fromsensors 232 on the baler 22. As such, the wrap and dischargenotification 338 is provided to the baler interface module 330 andindicates that the first bale B1 in the bale forming chamber 34 is fullyformed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 receives as input position sensor data340 which indicates the position of the carriage 54. The input positionsensor data 340 comprises sensor signals or sensor data received fromthe sensor 2118. The actuator control module 328 processes the sensorsignals from the sensor 2118, determines a current position of thecarriage 54, and sets the position of the carriage 54 to the firstposition. In various embodiments, the actuator control module 328compares the desired position to the current position, and if thecurrent position is not equal to the desired position, the actuatorcontrol module 328 outputs open valve control signal 342. The open valvecontrol signal 342 comprise a control signal for the control valves 226to open to the first, open position to drive the carriage actuator 2112to move the movable carriage 54. Based on the outputting of the openvalve control signal 342, the actuator control module 328 receives asinput or resamples the input position sensor data 340. Based on theinput position sensor data 340, the actuator control module 328determines a current position of the movable carriage 54. If the currentposition of the movable carriage 54 is not equal to the desired position(set based on the input position sensor data 340), the actuator controlmodule 328 moves the movable carriage 54 and continues to monitor ordetermine the current position of the movable carriage 54 until thecurrent position of the movable carriage 54 is substantially equal tothe desired position. Once the current position of the movable carriage54 is equal to the desired position, the actuator control module 328outputs close valve control signal 344. The close valve control signal344 comprise control signal for the control valves 226 to move to thethird, closed position to close to maintain the position of the movablecarriage 54 in the first position. Once the current position of themovable carriage 54 is equal to the first position, the actuator controlmodule 328 sets an actuator position notification 346 for the balerinterface module 330. The actuator position notification 346 indicatesthat the movable carriage 54 is in the first position and ready toreceive the first bale B1 from the baler 22.

The baler interface module 330 receives as input the wrap and dischargenotification 338 from the baler 22. Based on the wrap and dischargenotification 338, the baler interface module 330 determines whether theactuator position notification 346 has been received that indicates thatthe movable carriage 54 is in the first position. If true, the balerinterface module 330 outputs a discharge command 348. The dischargecommand 348 is a command that is output to the appropriate system of thebaler 22 to command the baler 22 to activate the wrap feed and cut-offsystem of the baler 22 to apply wrap material about the first bale B1 inthe bale forming chamber 34, open the discharge gate 38 and dischargethe first bale B1 from the bale forming chamber, actuate the transfermechanism 50 to move the first bale B1 into the carriage 54 after thefirst bale B1 has been wrapped and discharged, and close the dischargegate 38. After the first bale B1 is discharged from the baler 22, thedischarge gate 38 is closed, and the baler 22 initiates the formation ofthe second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber 34.

After the first bale B1 is received on the carriage 54, the balerinterface module 330 outputs a second bale request 352 to the actuatorcontrol module 328 to initiate a second bale routine. The second balerequest 352 is a notification that the operator desires to form andaccumulate a second bale B2 on the accumulator 20. The second baleroutine includes forming the second bale B2; receiving, by theaccumulation system controller 322, position signals from the sensor2118 associated with the position of the carriage 54; determining, bythe accumulation system controller 322, whether the second balereceiving area 78 b of the carriage 54 is located behind the dischargegate 38; and when the second bale receiving area 78 b of the carriage 54is determined not to be located behind the discharge gate 38, moving, bythe accumulation system controller 322 controlling the carriage actuator2112, the carriage 54 into the second position by moving the carriage 54relative to the base frame 52.

In one example, the accumulation system controller 322 may receive asignal from an appropriate system of the baler 22 that indicates thatthe second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34, againas the wrap and discharge notification 338. As such, the wrap anddischarge notification 338 indicates that the second bale B2 in the baleforming chamber 34 is fully formed, and is to be wrapped and discharged.

The actuator control module 328 processes the sensor signals from thesensor 2118, determines a current position of the movable carriage 54,and sets the position of the carriage 54 to the second position. Oncethe current position of the movable carriage 54 is equal to the secondposition, the actuator control module 328 sets the actuator positionnotification 346 for the baler interface module 330. The actuatorposition notification 346 indicates that the movable carriage 54 is inthe second position and ready to receive the second bale B2 from thebaler 22.

As noted above, based on the wrap and discharge notification 338, thebaler interface module 330 determines whether the actuator positionnotification 346 has been received that indicates that the movablecarriage 54 is in the second position. If true, the baler interfacemodule 330 outputs the discharge command 348. The discharge command 348is a command that is output to the ECU of the baler 22 to command thebaler 22 to activate the wrap feed and cut-off system of the baler 22 toapply wrap material about the second bale B2 in the bale forming chamber34, open the discharge gate 38 and discharge the second bale B2 from thebale forming chamber, actuate the transfer mechanism 50 to move thesecond bale B2 into the carriage 54 after the second bale B2 has beenwrapped and discharged, and close the discharge gate 38. After thesecond bale B2 is discharged from the baler 22, the discharge gate 38 isclosed, and the baler 22 awaits the next command from the user.

In an embodiment, after the second bale B2 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a received balesnotification. The bales received notification is sent to the actuatorcontrol module 328 which commands the actuator control module 328 tomove the movable carriage 54 to the third position. The actuator controlmodule 328 processes the sensor signals from the sensor 2118, determinesa current position of the movable carriage 54, and sets the position ofthe carriage 54 to the third position. The received bales notification354 may be sent to the operator interface 230 to indicate to theoperator that the bales B1, B2 are on the accumulator 20 and furtheraction is ready to be taken, such as a command to tip the accumulator 20to dump or deposit the bales B1, B2 onto the ground so that anotherbaling operation can take place.

In an embodiment, after the first bale B1 is received on the carriage54, the baler interface module 330 outputs a centering notification tothe actuator control module 328. In response, the actuator controlmodule 328 commands the actuator control module 328 to move the movablecarriage 54 to the third position. When the wrap and dischargenotification 338 is received indicating that the first bale B1 isformed, the baler interface module 330 outputs a second positionnotification to the actuator control module 328 which commands theactuator control module 328 to move the movable carriage 54 to thesecond position prior to receipt of the second bale B2 on theaccumulator 20.

In some embodiments, the gate sensor 234 is configured to detect theposition of the discharge gate 38; and the accumulation systemcontroller 322 is configured to initiate each of the first bale routineand the second bale routine upon the accumulation system controller 322receiving input signals from the gate sensor 234 that the discharge gate38 is open or opening.

In a further embodiment, the accumulation control system 220 includes atilt sensor 236 for detecting a roll angle of the accumulator 20 or thebaler 22, for example when the accumulator 20 is traverses an inclinedsurface. The accumulation system controller 322 initiates a tiltcompensation routine in which the controller 238 receives positionsignals from the sensor 2118; receives tilt signals from the tilt sensor236; determines, based on the position and tilt signals, whether one ormore of the first bale and the second bale should be positioned at anuphill side of the accumulator; and moves one or more of the first baleB1 and the second bale B2 to the uphill side of the accumulator 20 bycontrolling the bale separating member actuator 92 to move the carriage54 relative to the base frame 52.

Referring now also to FIGS. 27A and 27B, a flowchart illustrates amethod 600 that may be performed by the accumulation system controller322 of the controller 228 of FIG. 10 in accordance with the presentdisclosure for use with the embodiments of FIGS. 20-26. The movement ofthe front rail 74 described above is not included in the flowchart, butappropriate steps would be provided for the movement of the front rail74. As can be appreciated in light of the disclosure, the order ofoperation within the method 600 is not limited to the sequentialexecution as illustrated in FIGS. 27A and 27B, but may be performed inone or more varying orders as applicable and in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

In one example, the method 600 begins at step 602. At step 604, themethod 600 determines whether bale input data 332 has been received, viathe operator's manipulation of the human-machine or operator interface230. If no, then at step 606, the method 600 loops to start step 602. Ifyes, the method 600 proceeds to step 606, and determines whether thecarriage 54, and thus the bale separating member 90, is in the firstposition (by processing the input position sensor data 340). If no, thenat step 608, the method 600 outputs the open valve control signal 342 tomove the carriage 54 and the bale separating member 90 to the firstposition and then returns to step 606. If yes, the method 600 proceedsto step 610.

At step 610, the method 600 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe first position of the carriage 54 and the bale separating member 90.

At 612, the method 600 outputs the first bale request 334 to the ECU ofthe baler 22 to start the first baling operation to form the first baleB1. At step 614, the method 600 receives and processes the sensor data336 and determines if the first bale B1 is fully formed in the baleforming chamber 34. At step 616, the method 600 determines whether thefirst bale B1 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34. If no, themethod 600 loops to step 614. If yes, the method 600 proceeds to 618. Atstep 618, the method 600 outputs the discharge command 348 to the baler22.

The method 600 then proceeds to step 620. At step 620, the method 600outputs the one or more open valve control signals 342 to move thecarriage 54 and the bale separating member 90 from the first position tothe second position.

At step 622, the method 600 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe second position of the carriage 54 and the bale separating member90.

At step 624, the method 600 outputs the outputs the second bale request352 to the baler 22 to commence forming the second bale B2. It is to beunderstood that step 624 can be performed immediately after step 618. Atstep 626, the method 600 receives and processes the sensor data 336 anddetermines if the second bale B2 is fully formed in the bale formingchamber 34. At step 628, the method 600 determines whether the secondbale B2 is fully formed in the bale forming chamber 34. If no, themethod 600 loops to step 626. If yes, the method 600 proceeds to step630. At step 630, the method 600 outputs the discharge command 348 tothe baler 22.

The method 600 then proceeds to step 632. At step 632, the method 600outputs the one or more open valve control signals 342 to move thecarriage 54 and the bale separating member 90 from the second positionto the third position.

At step 634, the method 600 outputs the close valve control signal 344to the control valves 226 to close the control valves 226 to maintainthe third position of the carriage 54 and the bale separating member 90.

At step 636, the method 600 ends.

It is to be appreciated that the movement of the carriage 54 relative tothe base frame 52 only needs to be affected prior to the depositing ofthe second bale B2 onto the accumulator 20. Therefore, the movement ofthe carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 may be affectedimmediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto the carriage 54,or at any time thereafter so long as this occurs prior to the secondbale B2 being deposited onto the carriage 54.

If the movement of the carriage 54 relative to the base frame 52 isaffected immediately after the first bale B1 is deposited onto theaccumulator 20 or at some time thereafter but prior to the second baleB2 being ready to be deposited onto the carriage 54, the carriage 54 mayagain be moved relative to the base frame 52 to center the carriage 54behind the baler 22 while the second bale B2 is being formed andthereafter moved based to the second position so that the second bale B2can be accepted onto the accumulator 20.

In each embodiment, the accumulator 20 is positioned at a distance awayfrom the baler 22 by the transfer mechanism 50 such that the dischargegate 38 of the baler 22 can be opened when a bale B1 or B2 is on theaccumulator 20.

In each embodiment, while the accumulator 20 is described with regard toreceiving two bales B1 and B2, the accumulator 20 and its control systemcan be modified to receive more than two bales.

FIG. 35 shows a modified embodiment of the actuating mechanism 2056. Theactuating mechanism 2056 additionally includes at least one biasingmember 720 a, 720 b which provides for automatic centering of thecarriage 54 on the base frame 52. As shown, the at least one biasingmember is a pair of springs 720 a, 720 b. Biasing member 720 a isconnected between an end 70.1 of the carriage side wall 70 and the baseframe 52 via a rigid mount 722. Biasing member 720 b is connectedbetween an opposite end 70.2 of the carriage side wall 72 and the baseframe 52 via a rigid mount 724. When the hydraulic cylinder 98 ispressurized with hydraulic fluid to move the separating member 2090relative to the carriage 54 in the direction 84, the biasing member 720a expands and the biasing member 720 b compresses when a bale B1 ispresent. If no bale B1 is present, then the carriage 54 remains centeredrelative to the base frame 52. When the hydraulic cylinder 98 ispressurized with hydraulic fluid to move the separating member 2090relative to the carriage 54 in the direction 86, when a bale B2 ispresent, the biasing member 720 a compresses and the biasing member 720b expands. If no bale B2 is present, the carriage 54 remains centeredrelative to the base frame 52. It should be understood that any numberof passive devices could be used to hold the carriage 54 centeredrelative to the base frame 52. An example of an active device would be ahydraulic cylinder 1098 as seen in previous embodiments and in FIG. 15.

Also, the following examples are provided, which are numbered for easierreference.

1. An accumulator for carrying bales received from a baling chamber ofan agricultural baler, the accumulator and the agricultural balerconfigured to move in a direction of travel across a field to formbales, the accumulator comprising:

a base frame mountable behind the baler;

a carriage mounted to the base frame to be movable relative to the baseframe in a lateral direction, wherein the lateral direction istransverse to the direction of travel, the carriage having a platformand first and second upstanding side walls defining a crop packagereceiving area therebetween, the crop package receiving area having afixed lateral width during all movement of the carriage relative to thebase frame; andat least one actuator mounted to the base frame and configured to movethe carriage relative to the base frame or to move the carriage inresponse to a bale engaging one of the upstanding side walls, such thatthe platform and the first and second upstanding side walls are movedlaterally relative to the base frame.

2. The accumulator of example 1, wherein the at least one actuator is anactuator coupled to the carriage to move the carriage relative to thebase frame.

3. The accumulator of example 2, wherein the at least one actuatorincludes a bale separating member extending into the crop packagingreceiving area, the bale separating member being fixed relative to thecarriage and partitioning the crop package receiving area into sections.

4. The accumulator of example 3, wherein the bale separating memberpartitions the crop package receiving area into two sections.

5. The accumulator of example 2, wherein the at least one actuatorcomprises an actuator mounted to the base frame and mounted to thecarriage, wherein upon actuation of the at least one actuator, thecarriage is moved laterally by the at least one actuator which causesthe bale separating member to move.

6. The accumulator of example 1, wherein the at least one actuatorincludes a bale separating member extending into the crop packagereceiving area and mounted to be movable relative to the base frame andmovable relative to the carriage.

7. The accumulator of example 6, wherein the at least one actuator is anactuator coupled to the bale separating member to move the baleseparating member relative to the carriage.

8. The accumulator of example 7, wherein the at least one actuator movesthe carriage relative to the base frame only when a bale is disposed inthe crop package receiving area between the bale separating member andone of the upstanding side walls of the carriage.

9. The accumulator of example 8, wherein the at least one actuator movesthe carriage relative to the base frame in a first lateral directiontransverse to the direction of travel of the accumulator when a firstbale is disposed in a first section of the crop package receiving areadefined between the bale separating member and the first upstanding endby engagement of the bale separating member with the first bale andengagement of the first bale with the first upstanding end; and

wherein the at least one actuator laterally moves the carriage relativeto the base frame in a second lateral direction when a second bale isdisposed in a second section of the crop package receiving area definedbetween the bale separating member and the second upstanding side wallsby engagement of the bale separating member with the second bale andengagement of the second bale with the second upstanding end.

10. The accumulator of example 7, wherein the at least one actuatorincludes a first actuator coupled to the bale separating member to movethe bale separating member relative to the carriage and a secondactuator coupled to the carriage to move the carriage relative to thebase frame.

11. The accumulator of example 6, further comprising a sensor configuredto detect a position of the bale separating member relative to the baseframe.

12. The accumulator of example 6, wherein the at least one actuatorcomprises an actuator mounted to the base frame and mounted to the baleseparating member, wherein upon actuation of the at least one actuator,the bale separating member is moved by the at least one actuator whichin turn causes the carriage to move.

13. The accumulator of example 6, wherein the at least one actuatorcomprises a first actuator mounted to the base frame and mounted to thecarriage, wherein upon actuation of the first actuator, the carriage ismoved by the first actuator but the bale separating member remainslaterally stationary, and a second actuator mounted to the base frameand mounted to the bale separating member, wherein upon actuation of thesecond actuator, the bale separating member is moved by the secondactuator but the carriage remains laterally stationary.

14. The accumulator of example 1, wherein the base frame remainslaterally stationary during the movement of the carriage.

15. The accumulator of example 1, further comprising a sensor configuredto detect a position of the carriage relative to the base frame.

16. The accumulator of example 1, wherein the at least one actuatorcomprises an actuator mounted to the base frame and mounted to thecarriage, wherein upon actuation of the at least one actuator, thecarriage is moved laterally by the at least one actuator which causesthe bale separating member to move.

17. The accumulator of example 1, further comprising a tilt sensorprovided on the accumulator, wherein in response to a sensing of aninclined surface by the tilt sensor, the carriage is moved relative tothe base frame.

18. The accumulator of example 1, further comprising at least onebiasing member attached between the carriage and the base frame andconfigured to center the carriage on the base frame when the at leastone actuator is disabled.

19. An agricultural bale-processing machine comprising:

a baling chamber; and

an accumulator for carrying bales received from the baling chamber, thebaling chamber and the accumulator configured to move in a direction oftravel across a field, the accumulator comprising

a base frame mountable behind the baling chamber,

a carriage mounted to the base frame to be movable relative to the baseframe in a lateral direction, wherein the lateral direction istransverse to the direction of travel, the carriage having a platformand first and second upstanding side walls defining a crop packagereceiving area therebetween, the crop package receiving area having afixed lateral width during all movement of the carriage relative to thebase frame, andat least one actuator mounted to the base frame and configured to movethe carriage relative to the base frame such that the fixed lateralwidth crop receiving area is moved laterally relative to the base frame.

20. The agricultural bale-processing machine of example 19, wherein thebaling chamber comprises a baling frame and a gate, the gate beingopenable relative to the baling frame to expose the baling chamber,wherein the base frame of the accumulator is fixed to the baling frameand the accumulator is spaced from the baling chamber a distance whichallows the gate to be closed when a bale is on the accumulator.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, certain aspects of thedisclosed subject matter can be embodied as a method, system (e.g., awork vehicle control system included in a work vehicle), or computerprogram product. Accordingly, certain embodiments can be implementedentirely as hardware, entirely as software (including firmware, residentsoftware, micro-code, etc.) or as a combination of software and hardware(and other) aspects. Furthermore, certain embodiments can take the formof a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium havingcomputer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium can beutilized. The computer usable medium can be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer-usable, orcomputer-readable, storage medium (including a storage device associatedwith a computing device or client electronic device) can be, forexample, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, ordevice, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specificexamples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium wouldinclude the following: an electrical connection having one or morewires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random-access memory(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compactdisc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device. In thecontext of this document, a computer-usable, or computer-readable,storage medium can be any tangible medium that can contain, or store aprogram for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium can include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal can takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium can be non-transitory and can be anycomputer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage mediumand that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use byor in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

Aspects of certain embodiments are described herein can be describedwith reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams ofmethods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according toembodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block ofany such flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinationsof blocks in such flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions can be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions can also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Any flowchart and block diagrams in the figures, or similar discussionabove, can illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation ofpossible implementations of systems, methods and computer programproducts according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Inthis regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams can representa module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or moreexecutable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block (or otherwisedescribed herein) can occur out of the order noted in the figures. Forexample, two blocks shown in succession (or two operations described insuccession) can, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or theblocks (or operations) can sometimes be executed in the reverse order,depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted thateach block of any block diagram and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in any block diagrams and/or flowchartillustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Certain terminology may be used in the following description for thepurpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. Forexample, terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower”, “above”, and“below” could be used to refer to directions in the drawings to whichreference is made. Terms such as “front”, “back”, “rear”, “side”,“outboard”, and “inboard” could be used to describe the orientationand/or location of portions of the component within a consistent butarbitrary base frame of reference which is made clear by reference tothe text and the associated drawings describing the component underdiscussion. Such terminology may include the words specificallymentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.Similarly, the terms “first”, “second”, and other such numerical termsreferring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context.

The description of the present disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. Explicitly referenced embodiments herein were chosen anddescribed in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure andtheir practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill inthe art to understand the disclosure and recognize many alternatives,modifications, and variations on the described example(s). Accordingly,various embodiments and implementations other than those explicitlydescribed are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An accumulator for carrying bales received from abaling chamber of an agricultural baler, the accumulator and theagricultural baler configured to move in a direction of travel across afield to form bales, the accumulator comprising: a base frame mountablebehind the baler; a carriage mounted to the base frame to be movablerelative to the base frame in a lateral direction, wherein the lateraldirection is transverse to the direction of travel, the carriage havinga platform and first and second upstanding side walls defining a croppackage receiving area therebetween, the crop package receiving areahaving a fixed lateral width during all movement of the carriagerelative to the base frame; and at least one actuator mounted to thebase frame and configured to move the carriage relative to the baseframe or to move the carriage in response to a bale engaging one of theupstanding side walls, such that the platform and the first and secondupstanding side walls are moved laterally relative to the base frame;wherein the at least one actuator includes a bale separating memberextending into the crop packaging receiving area, the bale separatingmember being fixed relative to the carriage and partitioning the croppackage receiving area into sections.
 2. The accumulator of claim 1,wherein the bale separating member partitions the crop package receivingarea into two sections.
 3. The accumulator of claim 1, wherein the atleast one actuator comprises an actuator mounted to the base frame andmounted to the carriage, wherein upon actuation of the at least oneactuator, the carriage is moved laterally by the at least one actuatorwhich causes the bale separating member to move.
 4. The accumulator ofclaim 1, wherein the base frame remains laterally stationary during themovement of the carriage.
 5. The accumulator of claim 1, furthercomprising a sensor configured to detect a position of the carriagerelative to the base frame.
 6. An accumulator for carrying balesreceived from a baling chamber of an agricultural baler, the accumulatorand the agricultural baler configured to move in a direction of travelacross a field to form bales, the accumulator comprising: a base framemountable behind the baler; a carriage mounted to the base frame to bemovable relative to the base frame in a lateral direction, wherein thelateral direction is transverse to the direction of travel, the carriagehaving a platform and first and second upstanding side walls defining acrop package receiving area therebetween, the crop package receivingarea having a fixed lateral width during all movement of the carriagerelative to the base frame; and at least one actuator mounted to thebase frame and configured to move the carriage relative to the baseframe or to move the carriage in response to a bale engaging one of theupstanding side walls, such that the platform and the first and secondupstanding side walls are moved laterally relative to the base frame;wherein the at least one actuator includes a bale separating memberextending into the crop package receiving area and mounted to be movablerelative to the base frame and movable relative to the carriage.
 7. Theaccumulator of claim 6, wherein the at least one actuator is an actuatorcoupled to the bale separating member to move the bale separating memberrelative to the carriage.
 8. The accumulator of claim 7, wherein the atleast one actuator moves the carriage relative to the base frame onlywhen a bale is disposed in the crop package receiving area between thebale separating member and one of the upstanding side walls of thecarriage.
 9. The accumulator of claim 8, wherein the at least oneactuator moves the carriage relative to the base frame in a firstlateral direction transverse to the direction of travel of theaccumulator when a first bale is disposed in a first section of the croppackage receiving area defined between the bale separating member andthe first upstanding end by engagement of the bale separating memberwith the first bale and engagement of the first bale with the firstupstanding end; and wherein the at least one actuator laterally movesthe carriage relative to the base frame in a second lateral directionwhen a second bale is disposed in a second section of the crop packagereceiving area defined between the bale separating member and the secondupstanding side walls by engagement of the bale separating member withthe second bale and engagement of the second bale with the secondupstanding end.
 10. The accumulator of claim 7, wherein the at least oneactuator includes a first actuator coupled to the bale separating memberto move the bale separating member relative to the carriage and a secondactuator coupled to the carriage to move the carriage relative to thebase frame.
 11. The accumulator of claim 6, further comprising a sensorconfigured to detect a position of the bale separating member relativeto the base frame.
 12. The accumulator of claim 6, wherein the at leastone actuator comprises an actuator mounted to the base frame and mountedto the bale separating member, wherein upon actuation of the at leastone actuator, the bale separating member is moved by the at least oneactuator which in turn causes the carriage to move.
 13. The accumulatorof claim 6, wherein the at least one actuator comprises a first actuatormounted to the base frame and mounted to the carriage, wherein uponactuation of the first actuator, the carriage is moved by the firstactuator but the bale separating member remains laterally stationary,and a second actuator mounted to the base frame and mounted to the baleseparating member, wherein upon actuation of the second actuator, thebale separating member is moved by the second actuator but the carriageremains laterally stationary.
 14. An accumulator for carrying balesreceived from a baling chamber of an agricultural baler, the accumulatorand the agricultural baler configured to move in a direction of travelacross a field to form bales, the accumulator comprising: a base framemountable behind the baler; a carriage mounted to the base frame to bemovable relative to the base frame in a lateral direction, wherein thelateral direction is transverse to the direction of travel, the carriagehaving a platform and first and second upstanding side walls defining acrop package receiving area therebetween, the crop package receivingarea having a fixed lateral width during all movement of the carriagerelative to the base frame; at least one actuator mounted to the baseframe and configured to move the carriage relative to the base frame orto move the carriage in response to a bale engaging one of theupstanding side walls, such that the platform and the first and secondupstanding side walls are moved laterally relative to the base frame;and a tilt sensor provided on the accumulator, wherein in response to asensing of an inclined surface by the tilt sensor, the carriage is movedrelative to the base frame.
 15. An accumulator for carrying balesreceived from a baling chamber of an agricultural baler, the accumulatorand the agricultural baler configured to move in a direction of travelacross a field to form bales, the accumulator comprising: a base framemountable behind the baler; a carriage mounted to the base frame to bemovable relative to the base frame in a lateral direction, wherein thelateral direction is transverse to the direction of travel, the carriagehaving a platform and first and second upstanding side walls defining acrop package receiving area therebetween, the crop package receivingarea having a fixed lateral width during all movement of the carriagerelative to the base frame; at least one actuator mounted to the baseframe and configured to move the carriage relative to the base frame orto move the carriage in response to a bale engaging one of theupstanding side walls, such that the platform and the first and secondupstanding side walls are moved laterally relative to the base frame;and at least one biasing member attached between the carriage and thebase frame and configured to center the carriage on the base frame whenthe at least one actuator is disabled.
 16. An agriculturalbale-processing machine comprising: a baling chamber; and an accumulatorfor carrying bales received from the baling chamber, the baling chamberand the accumulator configured to move in a direction of travel across afield, the accumulator comprising: a base frame mountable behind thebaling chamber, a carriage mounted to the base frame to be movablerelative to the base frame in a lateral direction, wherein the lateraldirection is transverse to the direction of travel, the carriage havinga platform and first and second upstanding side walls defining a croppackage receiving area therebetween, the crop package receiving areahaving a fixed lateral width during all movement of the carriagerelative to the base frame, and at least one actuator mounted to thebase frame and configured to move the carriage relative to the baseframe such that the fixed lateral width crop receiving area is movedlaterally relative to the base frame; wherein the at least one actuatorincludes a bale separating member extending into the crop packagereceiving area and mounted to be movable relative to the base frame andmovable relative to the carriage.
 17. The agricultural bale-processingmachine of claim 16, wherein the baling chamber comprises a baling frameand a gate, the gate being openable relative to the baling frame toexpose the baling chamber, wherein the base frame of the accumulator isfixed to the baling frame and the accumulator is spaced from the balingchamber a distance which allows the gate to be closed when a bale is onthe accumulator.